Juneof44

So, I got the inside scoop on a meeting over on the Peninsula (those of you from WA state will know) in an old converted textile mill. It's supposedly composed of a younger crowd with a decidedly "counter-culture" stance. This was very appealing to me, as this was basically my scene, and people I can relate to. If I do like it and feel very comfortable with the crowd, is this a good thing or a bad thing? Should there be a degree of discomfort at an AA meeting? I've been to a few in the past, in previous attempts to quit, but never really quite felt easy enough to share.

GettingStronger2

a degree of discomfort? No, I do not think that is a part of a meeting. I am very comfortable in my home group. Does that mean that I am always comfortable in the meetings? No, there are times I or someone else shares about something that is very uncomfortable. But if I were not comfortable with the people at my meeting, I would not be able to do that.

I have been to meetings where I felt less comfortable. I typically listen at those meetings and don't talk. I can still get something from the meeting.

For me, finding one where I did feel comfortable was crucial to my staying in the program, for the program to work for me, and for me to work the program. That is the only way it works.

My homegroup happens to be the very first meeting I attended. That was just pure luck. But the very first time I went, although I was a little nervous and perhaps scared, I felt I had gone home. I cannot explain the feeling, but I know others have experienced it. I have been going ever since, and rarely (I think twice in almost 4 months) do I miss a meeting.