Curlync

I was just curious how often everyone (who chooses AA obviously) attends meetings.

I got my 2 month chip yesterday (Yay me) thanks to AA and my HP and i have been going daily but sometimes i just don't want too. I would go if I felt out of sync, but like this am i feel good and just don't feel like it.
But I also don't want to make the mistake of complacency, if you know what i mean.... I love the meetings and as I write this I realize I better get up and go.... i'll be thankful i did later lol.

I was just curious about how often most people went, especially the long timers.

ALinNS

For me it depends on how far I have to travel for a face to face meeting, at the moment only once a week that is within a 20min drive however I attend pretty much daily online. Andrew

zjw

i think if AA is a big part of your routine for remaining sober it should remain as such untill you can work it out of your routine and replace it with something else . Or like if your not gonna go do something else to fill that time slot or what not to kinda put effort towards remaining sober IE read here or something etc..

I dont go very often once every couple months. Mainly i'm lazy its at a rough time its almost 30 min drive etc.. I do like going tho. But AA was never a huge part of my sobriety routine so its not a huge issue to me. But everytime i changed my routine I made sure to try and replace one thing with another that would be conducive to my health and welfare and sobriety etc..

I didnt wanna get complacent either removeing this and that and then have too muuch time on my hands lol idle hands are the devils playground lol. Tho i need ample down time too so I'm not saying doing nothing is bad either.

stevieg46

Today 10 years sober I usually do two sometimes three I go to carry the message basically .

You are early days and well done on two months , AA meetings will not keep you sober the recovery program keeps you sober as it is a program of change , the more effort you put in the better the result will be , early on ask yourself ''how many days did I drink '' ? so if you put in much the same effort early on you will learn more . Get a sponsor if you haven't done already do the steps live a new way of life and find a balance which suits you , going to meetings every night is not a new way of life , take care .

Regards Stevie recovered 12 03 2006 .

OldTomato

Like zjw said, if I'm not at an AA meeting I make sure I'm doing something else. I attend about 3 meetings a week if I can make them.

Congrats on 2 months!

Dave42001

Nice work on 60 days!! Keep it up!! I go to a lot of meetings, it helps because it's so close, I can walk or ride my bike.. I'm always popping in the club saying hello and grabbing a cup of coffee. Our club is open from 6:30 am to 11 pm so there's always someone there.

It's a good place for me to be! Totally agree with your complacently view.. I never want to forget where I came from! Keep up the great work!!

MIRecovery

For the first 1.5 years I went 6 days a week. Now at 6 years I go to 3. As my sponsor says, "Keep backing off on meetings until you drink then you will know how many you need."

I view my involvement with AA as my medicine for my chronic disease. As long as I take enough medicine I stay healthy.

Although meetings are important having a sponsor, working the steps, and changing the person you are is what will keep you sober

sugarbear1

I went to as many as possible my first 2 years.

I made a commitment with my sponsor to attend at least 2 a week and I've kept that commitment for almost 5 years now.

Work those steps and live them daily. This works well for me.

Curlync

Well I went and of course it was a great meeting. Courage was the topic.
Thanks for the feedback! I keep reading -- work the steps, change your life so that you live them- and I wanted you all to know I hear you!! I have great sponsor and am working my way along-- I am not rushing through bc I am on this path forever, god willing, - it is a journey and not a destination. I am staying sober, attending meetings and really working steps 1-3 - so that I have a good foundation for going into 4 and 5. In the meantime I am just trying to do the next right thing.

60 days is nothing and everything. I feel so much better each day and so much closer to my god- my god is changing as along with me and in a much stronger, hopeful way. I feel, almost happy sometimes and more importantly free. I didn't realize what a hostage I was to my addiction.
i just wish I had discovered AA and hostage negotiations sooner!! But I wasn't ready I suppose.

oldsoul1122

At almost 9 months I usually go once a week at the most but I may stop altogether. Of all the meetings in this area I haven't found one that isn't full of profanity. The women's meeting is the worst. I'm 67, not used to it and it's very offensive to me. It literally makes me feel sick to my stomach. I I'm not a prude just not been around it much. I personally don't think the meetings are a place for it. I'm thinking about going to a church instead. I also listen to some you tube AA and visit here everyday. Being consistent is my number 1 priority.

stevieg46

Hi Old Soul .

'' Swearing often offends the absence of it never offends .''
That s a slogan that in a lot of Glasgow Scotland meetings .
Stevie recovered 12 03 2006

48heath

I go to 2 meetings a week and often more.

I also dislike the swearing,some meetings are worse than others for it.

ItsViolet

I think it's kind of a personal choice, listen to yourself and what you really need. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.

Personally I find I need a break from meetings sometimes, though initially I went every day. I do attend a lot but I don't force myself to make it my whole life. I just get kinda burned out on things if I overdo it, I need me time i.e. do nothing time by myself. Time to just sit there and people watch with a coffee and listen to the birds.

Like I've found in the past that if I decide to start exercising and get into this rigid program of forcing myself to go to the gym every. single. day. or even every other day no matter what and feel guilty if I don't, I'm more likely to fail for the long-term because I get out of balance, and my body gets too tired and I get sick of it and then I just stop going altogether. All or nothing attitude=fail, but that's just my experience.

Even if I don't go to a meeting though I end up doing some other sobriety related thing for at least 30 mins, an hour every day. SR or some relevant reading or some lecture on YouTube or something.

One thing I wouldn't flake on is an appointment with my sponsor.

mick3580

I am a member of aa. I have gone long stretches of time without a meeting, including weeks or months. I have also attended daily for long stretches meeting attendance is not what gives me a positive result out of aa. It'the sau of life described in Aa's basic text that helps me, and that text makes only one or two references to meeting attendance.

Fly N Buy

How often do you attend?

How sober do you want to be?

At 22 months 4-5 times per week..........the f2f support for me is vital and like home - it's where my people live.

My disease tries to isolate me. The fellowship helps me heal and keeps me awake.
"We meet frequently so the newcomers may find the fellowship they seek".

NYCDoglvr

Even though I'm sober 24 years I still go to four meetings per week. My sobriety is relative to the number of meetings I attend and passing it along to others trying to get -- and stay -- sober. Having a sponsor and doing the steps is critical to my sobriety as well. Congrats on 60 days!

silentrun

Congrats on 2 months. I use SR for my recovery and it was everyday for a good 18 months. The first year was like having a full time job. If you don't feel like doing a meeting then at least consider supplementing it with online discussion. If you have something that's working for you it's probably best to stick with that formula for awhile.

advbike

I go to meetings 2-3 times a week here in the Philippines. They're awesome meetings with lots of expats from all over the world, and I always feel better afterwards. Very little swearing, by the way. I can tell when I need a meeting, lol, I start to get pretty wound up after a few days without. Not vulnerable to take a drink, just irritable. I need to be reminded to be humble and grateful I guess.

IvanMike

I attend NA but I think my experience is relevant.

In the beginning I went every day. I didn't have much else going on so I actually attended 15 meetings a week for a good part of the first year. By the second year I was down to once a day sometimes 5 or 6 a week. I bet I probably missed less than 20 days in my first 730. For most of the third year i went around every other day give or take. I found that my serenity had about a 48 hour life span. These days I try to get to three. Some weeks I make two, but I'd prefer to hit more. When things are a bit nuts in my head I hit 4 or more. I'd really prefer to hit 4 on the regular, but my schedule at the moment makes this tough. I do go to an AWOL step group once every two weeks as well.

All that said, this isn't a going to meetings program, it's a 12-Step program. Working the steps with an experienced sponsor and applying the principles of recovery in daily life is still how this works.

sg1970

Two a week religiously, monday and thursday. I did the 90 meetings in 90 days (sometimes more than one a day) then cut it to these two. Both are the only two my homegroup has. A great group with great sobriety. I supplement with coming here almost daily. It's been a long time since I was actually anxious to get to a meeting just to feel some peace. It's also been a long time since a drink sounded appealing. As others have said the steps are the key. I surrendered to my alcoholism and started the steps during the last couple of weeks of that 90 in 90. The obsession with alcohol went away after my fifth step and most of my amends were done by month 8. As of this point I only go to meetings to help newcomers and because I love all those old drunks who helped me get to where i'm at. I've been fortunate to make some great friends in AA.

Now having said all that if for some reason I felt the need or got off kilter you can bet my butt will get to a meeting. I'm not naive enough to think there won't be rough spots in the future.

Keep at it. It will be the best thing you've ever done.