Guinevere

Tonight I went to an open NA meeting. I met some wonderful people who had been clean from one year to many years. It was most interesting to see the disease from the other side. The people in attendance were more than happy to offer advice to me about setting boundaries and disengaging with love. They talked about how their doc controlled them completely. They could only love the drug during their days of active addiction. Each one had experienced a moment of clarity when they realized that they did not want to be controlled by the drug any longer and turned to their higher power. It was quite an experience, very enlightening.

Have any of you attended NA meetings? What did you learn?

helpus

Yes I attended a few months back when my RADs BF celebrated his one year. He gave such an inspiring speech, kids talked aboout it for days. I was so proud of him, he is an awesome guy. He truely gets it and is wonderful for my daugher.

greeteachday

The things I like most about open NA meetings is the hope they provide, the real feeling of fellowship and the realization I had that addicts helping addicts works so much better than trying to control it on my end (recovering addicts have a great bs detector and they've been there so they know the drill and will call a felllow addict out in a way that is so much more beneficial than me trying to manipulate staying clean). I also found attending open NA meetings helped me to develop more compassion...recovery is incredibly hard work and I think every day clean is a huge milestone. To me, addicts in early recovery have more strength than I think I have every demonstrated in my life to date.

I'm glad you got a chance to attend a meeting.

nevergivingup

Thanks for sharing your experience! It really is interesting to see it from other people's points of view!

Hangin' In

Yes, I've been to a good many open meetings and I always learn something. I've learned more about the struggles of the addicted person. And I've also learned that my changed behavior, mainly getting out of the way, is necessary if I want the alcoholic/addict to take control of their own life.

A friend of mine was really struggling when her son had his last relapse. She attends Al Anon regularly, but relapsed herself right back into her fear and worry. She called my sponsor who is a double winner...both in AA and Al Anon, looking for some help as to what she could do to get herself back on track, recovery wise. My sponsor told her she wanted her to start going to open AA meetings. My friend said she cussed and fussed and stomped her feet, so aggravated that she had been told to attend yet another meeting. So she went to the first open meeting, mad and resentful, as she got out of her car. Said the meeting was informative and enlightening. She went back the next week, and the next week, and the next week, and still goes to one open meeting a week.

She laughs now at how angry she was with my sponsor for her telling her to go to open meetings. She says that is one of the best things she's added to her life and considers them just as important as her Al Anon meeting.