Tazman53

You know this could be one of the very reasons that it is STRONGLY suggested that men work with men and women with women.

Be it drugs or alcohol, unless one is in an existing relationship it is really best that until one is SOLID in thier recovery that starting NEW relationships is not a real smart thing to do.

Men, especially in early recovery are dogs and women can be very vulnerable, add the 2 of them together and at a minimum the odds are high that there will be problems, relapse is more likely as a result.

I tell newcomers (Guys) we are not here to get laid, we are here to recover.

Earky recovery is VERY hard and takes TOTAL committment, a new relationship WILL become ones MAIN focus.... not a real good idea early on.

Astro

I've heard that about the NA meetings in our area....so some of their members have gravitated over to our AA meetings. And yes, stick closely to members of the same sex. Recovery ain't a hotbed of health, sadly the motives of some people isn't just being clean and sober.

Think about this: What if everyone and their dog happened to be in the meeting when you walk in? I've come across quite a few old friends and some of my customers in AA. It's the things we have in common that bind us together.

eureka

Thanks! I never even thought about attending an AA meeting. That is a good idea though.

And I do not intentionally start relationships in recovery. That is never my aim. Everyone has been so helpful so far!

Tazman53

Several addicts I know that attend AA on a regular basis say they prefer AA over NA, not because of the minor differences between the 2, but for the very reasons you speak of.

PLEASE I am not saying or insinuating that all NA meetings are like this, Fredericksburg is not a big city and there are no where near the number of NA meetings as there are AA meetings.

One thing I have noticed is also that the addicts that do attend AA meetings are older people who also say that the number of very young people in NA makes it hard for them to relate to them. We have quite a few young people in AA as well but most of them gravitate to meetings with a more youthful attendance. My favoriet meeting in my area is our newcomers one, an excellent mix of all ages, genders and lengths of sobriety one of the guys who attends it will be celebrating 33 years next week.

nelco

Im an alcoholic. I attend AA for my recovery.

There are plenty of meetings, I found some that suits me.

I am sure NA is the same. try a few meetings untill you find one that helps and where there are people you can identify with. where you can meet soomeone that can bring you through the steps.

Believe808

I am an alcoholic/addict but choose to attend AA rather than NA, because there seems to be more consistant recovery in AA. There are so many young people at the meetings I attend and the reasons you posted are their main reasons for coming to AA. Good luck with your recovery.

eureka

You guys have all been so incredibly helpful! I am going out of town this weekend, and will be going to meetings with a friend who lives there. When I get back I'm going to plan on checking out both NA and AA meetings were I live now.

Thanks a million to all who responded to my post!