first NA meeting tonight - some questions
 

Going to my first NA meeting alone tonight. I don't have any literature or anything on hand. I have been reading the workbook.

My questions are simple - when they ask are there any newbies....and I raise my hand, will someone maybe come up to me at the break and say hi or something?

How do I pick a "home meeting" and how do I declare my intentions to have that one meeting be my home meeting?

How do I approach someone I repsect to be my sponsor? I don't know how to do that.

I had a relapse on Monday but was about 60 days clean before that...I am not able to continue on this journey alone and I believe NA will be by help in this process.

I must work some steps and need someone to really work me hard to get them done.

Thanks for your help. I am hoping to get my first key ring this week.

:thanks

Sorry, didn't see this post until now. Welcome to NA!

maybe some of your questions have been answered...maybe not.

In my experience, some people usually will take a few minutes after the meeting to talk to a newcomer, welcome them, make sure they have phone numbers, pamphlets, lists of meeting times etc.

After you've tried out a number of meetings in your area, you will likely find there is one that you feel "at home" at. It meets at a time and place you can attend regularly (so you can be active in it) and it feel like your group.

Then you tell the secretary after the meeting (or the chair) that you'd like to make this your home group and in my area you signed your name and put your number on a sheet, and that was that. Once I chose a home group I made an effort to help out that group and get to know people in it.

There are many ways to find a sponsor. The general rule is, after attending a few meetings, find someone you feel comfortable with, who's shares speak to you and who has "the recovery you want for yourself" and ask if they are taking sponsees.

I think a nice approach is to open a conversation after the meeting with a person you are interested in and mention that something they shared helped you, etc, and then

Many people ask a few of the people they've gottten to know if they can recommend anyone as a sponsor. Or you could request the chair at a meeting to ask during the meeting if anyone is open to sponsoring, then after the meeting approach someone who said they were open.

It really happens all different ways. My two sponsors found me...go figure.

Awesome on your clean time and welcome to the family!

Hey HMNI - how'd the meeting go?

The meeting was awesome. I had been once before but didn't speak or say I was there for the meeting, just there to support my SO...

Two ladies came up to me when it was my turn to say it was my 1st meeting and gave me a hug. They also handed me a pamphlet w/ all the ladies in the room I could contact should I need to. Afterwards, several long time sober people went to dinner and asked me to join. It felt great. I felt great. For the 1st time in a long time I didn't feel the burning need to use hanging over me. I bought a big blue book. And read some of it his weekend.

I feel stronger. And I also went to a NARANON meeting this past week. That also felt nice.

I am goinig to try to get to at least 1 more meeting this week at a different location...

NA is the way.

Thanks
Carla

I am glad you got a phone list and met some other recovering addicts. They will help you as much as you ask. Just keep going back, or as we say "keep coming back, it works if you work it"