S.O.B.er

Hi everyone,

This is my first time on this site. I am in my third year of continuous sobriety, and I really need someone to give me a little perspective on my present situation.

A year ago I moved to Italy to teach at a U.S. military base. When I made this move, I had been sober for two years and attending meetings at a large clubhouse in Pennsylvania almost daily. I loved AA, had a great sponsor, and was active.

There is only one AA meeting on the base. There are a few others around in the local community, but they are all Italian speaking. The meeting on the base is extremely small. There is basically one guy there with several years of sobriety, and newcomers drifting in and out.

THIS GUY DRIVES ME CRAZY. As far as I'm concerned, he's the worst type of self righteous preaching. Every time I go to this meeting I feel like I'm going just to hear him shell out advice. For a the first ten months I was here, I went anyway. I felt like a fish out of water over here in Italy, and since there is wine and liquor everywhere over here, I really felt uptight and alone. I feel at peace right now, but I don't want to go to those meetings anymore.

I haven't been to a meeting in two months. I don't want to go back, but I feel like I need to replace it with something else for my sobriety.

I've heard a hundred times that not going to meetings leads you right back to drinking. I don't want to drink. Is there something to learn from continuing to go? Should I seek a substitute online?

Give me a hand if you have an opinion!

S.O.B.er

chewzymom

Hi! Congratulations on 3 years! That's great!

That kind of sucks that there arent any other English speaking meetings nearby - could you learn Italian?

Maybe trying to connect with the drifting newcomers more than listening to theis obnoxious guy drone on and on might help - get you 'out of yourself' you know?

There are TONS of online chat meetings, message boards etc...I'm sure you know. Although these don't necessarily 'replace' meetings...I think in your situation they may be a great alternative until you can get back to the states, or learn Italian.

Don't go if you really dont want to...or maybe just go every so often to see if there are any new people who decide to stick around.

In my opinion...it's not that discontinuing meetings will lead you back to drinking (although for some people it does)...it's not keeping up/participating in any kind of recovery based activities and having your spiritual/recovery needs met that will get you drunk.

Since I had my baby it has been harder for me to get out to meetings...so Isub. with online, message boards, and outreach work in other ways...additionally I ask my Higher Power for help everyday which I feel is very important as well.

vinnietoo

S.o.b.er,

Ya that can suck. I learned a way from
my sponsor to look at that kind of resentement.
He told me to "go ahead take the others inventory,
just make sure you sign it". This really doesn't help
in the long run,as far as finding a meeting,
but keep posting here hopefully
it will help. Do you have a copy of the new 4th ed
of the Big Book? Good reading. Maybe you could
suggest a Big Book meeting, that tends to keep
things on topic. And if not it is alot easier to say,
what's that got to do with the story we just read?
Just a suggestion.

Hope you at least had some Turkey for Thanksgiving.

Blessings,

Vinnie

P.S. Like your screen name, SOBER= Son of a B**** everything's real. Yup!!