imatryinhard

Hi. So….. tonight is my 3rd meeting. I will be asking a lady (the person I had coffee with at meeting 1) to be my sponsor. I am ready to do the steps. I do need to talk to one of you with experience going to AA meetings because I really am struggling with certain aspects of AA – and not the drinking. I don’t want to write a public post on here about my rugged opinions about AA – my words aren’t kind or generous right now. Anyone who has been to meetings for a little bit and can put up with me….
I could really use some input in a private message. Please help.

Dee74

I'm not in AA but I think anything new is difficult, and probably always a little uncomfortable Imatryinghard, no matter what it is.

I hope you find yourself more comfortable soon, whatever you decide.

D

Anna

I'm not an AA person either, but I know that early recovery was really hard for me.

imatryinhard

thank you! i am going to keep chugging along... I will go to every AA meeting in the state if need be. I am Pissed off and motivated.

imatryinhard

There must be a meeting I am confortable in - there must! I will do this... hell or high water.

least

I go to my home group meeting at least twice a month, but have never 'worked the steps' as laid out in the big book, but I'm sure someone with more AA experience will come along soon.

flutter

Ima, I just wanted to tell you I'm really proud of you for what you're doing. I'm not a member of AA either, but if you do have specific questions about the program, or meetings etc and you don't want to post them here, you could post them in the 12-step forum.

I hope you find some solutions to the challenges you're facing!

GettingStronger2

I've been in AA for almost 6 months now. . .feel free to PM me with whatever questions you have. Remeber, meetings are made up of people -- alcoholics. none of us are perfect, and different meetings are, well, different, depending on the people who attend.

LawMama

I've been in AA for 4.5 months and have a sponsor and am working the steps and such. I am open-minded and pretty nice lol. Feel free to PM me if you still have questions.

Also, your sponsor should hopefully be able to talk to you about this stuff too, if she is a good fit. I know my sponsor was good about my ambivalence about the program when I came in.

imatryinhard

Thank you for your offer. Ive decided to try and keep things positive about the people of AA so I won't spare you my bashing. Who am I anyways.

Thank ya tho.

Itchy

ith,
I am also in AA and you can PM me. I can be as harsh as you can be as I hated the first meeting I went to. On the other hand now that I have recovered some of my sanity and sobriety I realize that I could have gotten something out of that first meeting. I have come a long way emotionally in the two months plus since then. Also AA is not for everybody. Lots of folks use counseling and here, or other support locally (Doc/Family) and here. I use here daily, as I still have my nights and days reversed, and AA twice a week. And for some here is just right. There is no one way to get there. I am a big boy so if you PM me about it, I'll be happy to give you the straight poop as one beginner to another. See I felt the same way at first.

How you get to your sobriety is irrelevant, as long as you get there.

Edit: You have great taste in music!

imatryinhard

Hey thanks for your response. I am working my kinks out and have done the very thing others have suggest and youve suggested: 'How you get to your sobriety is irrelevant, as long as you get there.' This is all that matters to me now no longer the minutiae.

Thank you.

JackNWA

Feel free to PM me also. I spent the first year and a half of my sobriety attending an AA meeting almost every day. Then didn't go much to meetings for a number of years. I'm back going to meetings now, just for my personal growth and benefit. I'm not having "difficulty" staying sober anymore, I just need the fellowship, enjoy the people, and need to hear stories, and share my own.