My First Meeting
My First Meeting
After months and months of pondering attending a meeting, all of a sudden yesterday I had a very strong urge to go.
I don't have GPS but I printed out directions from Google (BAD idea) and off I went, excited, nervous, hopeful. Then I got lost. Around and around I drove, like a crazy person, the later it got, the more upset I got. I'm sure a few people must've thought there was an insane woman in a pickup truck driving through the city saying a few choice words here and there .
Anyway, I finally found the church, a half hour late, but had my heart set on going so much I decided to risk arriving late. I had read earlier the etiquette on attending meetings so this was the last thing I wanted to do. When I got out, I must've looked like I was in despair and a nice guy led me up the stairs to the meeting. There must've been a hundred people inside.
There was a speaker and she spoke of her time clean, relapses, feelings, light-hearted humor, etc. and although it was enlightening to hear someone in her situation speak, I was in the wrong meeting!
With 20 minutes to spare, I finally found my way to Nar-anon, a small group of 8 plus me. I apologized for being late and interrupting but they welcomed me with open arms. Three people spoke and then it was open so the moderator came over to talk to me, asking what brought me here, gave me some pamphlets, and even though I didn't get to take part in the whole meeting, I saw enough that I want to go back.
I highly recommend this for anyone (except the getting lost part)!
I don't have GPS but I printed out directions from Google (BAD idea) and off I went, excited, nervous, hopeful. Then I got lost. Around and around I drove, like a crazy person, the later it got, the more upset I got. I'm sure a few people must've thought there was an insane woman in a pickup truck driving through the city saying a few choice words here and there .
Anyway, I finally found the church, a half hour late, but had my heart set on going so much I decided to risk arriving late. I had read earlier the etiquette on attending meetings so this was the last thing I wanted to do. When I got out, I must've looked like I was in despair and a nice guy led me up the stairs to the meeting. There must've been a hundred people inside.
There was a speaker and she spoke of her time clean, relapses, feelings, light-hearted humor, etc. and although it was enlightening to hear someone in her situation speak, I was in the wrong meeting!
With 20 minutes to spare, I finally found my way to Nar-anon, a small group of 8 plus me. I apologized for being late and interrupting but they welcomed me with open arms. Three people spoke and then it was open so the moderator came over to talk to me, asking what brought me here, gave me some pamphlets, and even though I didn't get to take part in the whole meeting, I saw enough that I want to go back.
I highly recommend this for anyone (except the getting lost part)!
Let us know when you go, would love to hear about it!
And thank you all for the very kind words and encouragement to keep on truckin'... :-)
What a great share! It takes a lot of courage to go to a meeting. It can be scary particularly for shy people. But you showed great moxie! I hope your shining example will help someone else muster the courage to go to that first meeting and see that no one bites or judges.
Keep going back. It really does work if you work it.
gentle hugs
ke
Keep going back. It really does work if you work it.
gentle hugs
ke
Hopeful, my first Coda meeting.... I went in sobbing, was crying the whole time in front of a circle of strangers. As people shared, I cried quietly. I was basically a human water fountain that evening. Man did I felt insane but I was in so much emotional pain and under a lot of stress that I didnt care. Being judged was the last thing that I cared about. I just wanted the pain and sadness to go away and I was willing to do almost anything then (short of giving up the addict).
Thinking back now, I can actually laugh about it. Nobody mind that I was a wreck, there were tissues there for me and people were very kind. Boy did I come a long way from where I was. Life is good.
Thinking back now, I can actually laugh about it. Nobody mind that I was a wreck, there were tissues there for me and people were very kind. Boy did I come a long way from where I was. Life is good.
Hopeful, my first Coda meeting.... I went in sobbing, was crying the whole time in front of a circle of strangers. As people shared, I cried quietly. I was basically a human water fountain that evening. Man did I felt insane but I was in so much emotional pain and under a lot of stress that I didnt care. Being judged was the last thing that I cared about. I just wanted the pain and sadness to go away and I was willing to do almost anything then (short of giving up the addict).
Thinking back now, I can actually laugh about it. Nobody mind that I was a wreck, there were tissues there for me and people were very kind. Boy did I come a long way from where I was. Life is good.
Thinking back now, I can actually laugh about it. Nobody mind that I was a wreck, there were tissues there for me and people were very kind. Boy did I come a long way from where I was. Life is good.
Last night I went to a yoga class. It was a bit different from what I expected and I didn't enjoy every moment of it but what I got outof it was that I tried something new and *that* is what made me smile.
p.s. you know you need to learn relaxation skills when you're sitting in the middle of a yoga class, one eye secretly open scanning the room, checking things out, lol.
I'm overwhelmed by the number of types of yoga so I don't know what "fits" me and it's kinda pricey so I have to be choosey. But I did find something called a Full Moon Gong Bath, it sounded kinda funky but I love trying new and spiritual things so I might check that out.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: In a better place
Posts: 282
Yay for yoga here, too! Love it, love it, love it. Classes don't always fit into the budget, or the schedule, so it's great that there are so many wonderful DVDs and even little segments on youtube (some of the relaxation/restful sleep segments are helpful in dealing with insomnia and anxiety).
Yay for yoga here, too! Love it, love it, love it. Classes don't always fit into the budget, or the schedule, so it's great that there are so many wonderful DVDs and even little segments on youtube (some of the relaxation/restful sleep segments are helpful in dealing with insomnia and anxiety).
I didn't even think of yoga on tv. I have a dvr so I'll have to tape some to see the variations. Thanks again!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 33
Hopeful, my first Coda meeting.... I went in sobbing, was crying the whole time in front of a circle of strangers. As people shared, I cried quietly. I was basically a human water fountain that evening. Man did I felt insane but I was in so much emotional pain and under a lot of stress that I didnt care. Being judged was the last thing that I cared about. I just wanted the pain and sadness to go away and I was willing to do almost anything then (short of giving up the addict).
Thinking back now, I can actually laugh about it. Nobody mind that I was a wreck, there were tissues there for me and people were very kind. Boy did I come a long way from where I was. Life is good.
Thinking back now, I can actually laugh about it. Nobody mind that I was a wreck, there were tissues there for me and people were very kind. Boy did I come a long way from where I was. Life is good.
That makes me hopeful, I cried thru my first meeting too, about 3 weeks ago and haven't been able to go back. I will, I know I need to.
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