bstt03

I have been sober for almost 8 months now. wow, I feel proud when I write that. But, lately, the urge to drink is coming. Not strong, but its due to other factors in my life. Loss of a job, lonliness of just sitting around doing not working, I don't have many friends because when I quit drinking I lost them. Guess they weren't real friends to begin with.

I just feel that maybe if I drank I could at least go out and be social and feel like I am doing something.

But, one thing that I was thinking was to attend an AA meeting for the first time. Is this a silly thing to do after almost 8 months sober? I thought it would get me out, help me with this urge and maybe i could me some people in the process. I feel so isolated right now.

Is is crazy to go to AA at this point in the game?

ANGELINA243

Not at all....AA is a place of encouragement, strength, hope. It isn't just about not drinking.....if that is all it was, I wouldn't go. I have learned so much about "living" life sober--happy, joyous, free. Alcohol was only a symptom of a much deeper problem. I had a living problem....take away the alcohol--my life was still unmanageable, cause I still had alcoholic thinking. I have made many new friends there and feel blessed to be a part of the fellowship.

TTOSBT

Oh my!
I just posted in regards to a very similar question from someone else a minute ago. So, though it may be bad form, I have the same opinion here.
Sooooo....

I do not believe so. There is a lot of understanding and compassion in AA. Check out a women's meeting. You will hear your story if you stick around long enough. If you stick close to the women with strong recovery, you will have a support system like you have never had before. I can not begin to tell you the miracles I have seen when one alcoholic woman helps another. (I am sure it happens with men too, I just can not speak for them). You will meet women who have just lost their jobs. You will meet women that lost their friends when they got sober, etc., etc., etc. Give it a try! You will be welcomed and embraced.

The program has not been about learning not to drink for me. It has been about learning to live sober. To learn to walk with grace. To learn how to love myself. To learn how to be of service to others. I am learning how to be a good mother, a good wife, a good employee, a good neighbor, a good friend & a good person by living the 12 steps of AA. This has been MY experience.

Dime

If you are starting to get uncomfortable with your sobriety at 8 months by all means turn up the fire on the sobriety activities. I have a whole new set of sober friends that I met in AA that I do things with in addition to attending meetings. It is great that you realize the need to do something now rather than later. The ladies are really tight at the meetings I attend.

espresso

I couldn't stop or stay stopped on my own. Give AA a try - what is there to lose? You'll find other people there to identify with, make new friends and know that you are not alone. Good Luck!

Gypsy Feet

I look forward to some sort of face to face meetings or sober gatherings when I am ready to socialize. I would imagine they are a good place to meet sober friends, and I will be needing some eventually. Let me know how it goes=)

Tazman53

First let me congradulate you on 8 months sober, then let me answer your question..... HECK no!!!!

As others have already shared I will concur with them and add a bit. When I first went to AA I thought all AA was about was not drinking, I knew that it worked for a great many people and I was desperate so I went.

What I discovered was that AA had a SOLUTION, the solution to my drinking problem was not simply not drinking and a group of people patting me on my back telling me what a great job I was doing at simply not drinking.

The SOLUTION I found in AA is a way of living life on lifes terms with a solution for my problems that did not involve drinking. You see my solution for problems for many years was drinking, that was the only solution or answer I had to anything in life was to drink.... Happy=drink, sad=drink, lost my job=drink, got a new job=drink, wife left me=drink, got married again=drink, bill collectors=drink, DUI=drink........

What AA gave me was a fellowship of fellow alcoholics who were more then happy to share how they lived life on lifes terms, some of them became good solid sober friends, all of them supported me as I supported them. The fellowship of AA is a part of that solution.

But the AA SOLUTION is in the steps, I took the steps to heart with the help & guidance of my sponsor who shared his experience, strength, & hope in taking the steps.

The fellowship of AA aides me in applying the steps to all areas of my life as well as always letting me know that I am not alone nor unique in my alcoholism or my manner of thinking.

8 months sober before attending ones first AA meeting is not unusual at all really, we had a guy last year that had over 2 years sober that showed up at a meeting, he still attends today, he said he was miserable sober and alone, not having any one to talk to who understood what he was going through or how to deal with it, he shares today that he found what he needed to stay happily sober in the rooms of AA.

bstt03

I want to thank you all for your strong words of encouragement. I think I will look into a meeting. Hey, not working, I definitely have plenty of time to go. Be better than sitting around the house feeling lonely and useless. I love this site! Thank you again all!

Tazman53

Not sure about your area, but in mine there are daytime ladies only meetings which may be just the place for you to start.

Anna

Good for you having 8 months sober!

I found that quitting drinking was the beginning of the journey. I had to make other changes in my life too. I think you will find that each change you make causes a ripple effect in your life.

Doing volunteer work in your community is a great way to meet new people. And, daily exercise has really helped me to feel better.

bstt03

Yes Anna, i do exercise and that does help a great deal to feel better. I was considering volunteer work as well.

tommyk

"Is is crazy to go to AA at this point in the game?"

Maybe, but aren't we kind of crazy?

I was sober for TEN YEARS before I started going to AA.

I needed to learn how to live, not just abstain from drinking.

Life is good... life is GREAT...!

keithj

No, absolutely not. Some of us found we couldn't get sober without working AA's steps. Or that when we were sober, we were miserable without living by the principles outlined in AA's program of recovery.

I've had the joy of watching another guy in AA have the lights come on this past year. He sat in the rooms of AA for a year and a half, sober, and never felt like he fit in. He was bored and negative. The people at meetings sucked. It got so bad, that he decided to get a sponsor and work the steps. By his own admission, he was transformed. He finally understands what it means to be recovered, not just not drinking. The guy is one fire these days.

At the very least, you may find a supportive group that can really understand the peculiar mental twists that we alcoholics share. You may find a lot of social activity. At best, if you work the steps, you will find a way of living that will bring an entirely new and wonderful sense of direction and purpose into your life. My life as a recovered alcoholic is infinitely more gratifying than my life even before I started drinking.

Mark75

Not crazy at all, I am sober around the same amount of time you are, it'll be 9 months on Sunday. AA is critically important to my recovery plan.

Yea, I still deal with a lot of First Step issues... but I go to AA, spend a lot of time here on SR, and I don't get any cravings anymore, occasional mild urges... I look forward to my AA group meetings... If you find the right group, and there are probably alot around NJ, you will too.

Mark

Chamabama

Congratulations on 8 months!

smacked

It might just be what you need in your life to solidify your sobriety, it might not.. but I bet there's a lot of worse things to do with your time!

Let us know how it goes! (and no, I don't think it's crazy.. )