How do I trick myself to an AA meeting?!!!
Sobriety is Traditional
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Orcas Island, Washington
Posts: 9,067
..two more meetings have passed since my last post.
Last night was NA. Have you thought about NA? The people and literature are very different.
Today was a noon meeting at the Community Church. The chairperson reads from approved literature, then calls on people to speak. We close by reciting the Lord's Prayer. Maybe you would like this? How do you know if you don't go?
Last night was NA. Have you thought about NA? The people and literature are very different.
Today was a noon meeting at the Community Church. The chairperson reads from approved literature, then calls on people to speak. We close by reciting the Lord's Prayer. Maybe you would like this? How do you know if you don't go?
p***enger
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,042
This is an interesting thread -- but I don't quite understand why your big focus is on going to a meeting, Jason. Do you think just by being there, you'll get it -- you'll get sobriety? I don't think so, myself.
I don't think you can trick the alcoholic brain into recovery, although I do think that it can trick you into a relapse. But relapse can happen in a second, and recovery takes sustained work. Some trick, or the help of some other person, might get you into a meeting room, but if you're not willing to trudge the mind-numbingly painful days of early recovery, do the work, take all the suggestions, etc., being in a meeting room won't help you much.
I'm not trying to discourage you from going to a meeting. But since you sound like an able-bodied fellow, if you're truly ready to quit drinking, I think you'll walk through the doors.
I don't think you can trick the alcoholic brain into recovery, although I do think that it can trick you into a relapse. But relapse can happen in a second, and recovery takes sustained work. Some trick, or the help of some other person, might get you into a meeting room, but if you're not willing to trudge the mind-numbingly painful days of early recovery, do the work, take all the suggestions, etc., being in a meeting room won't help you much.
I'm not trying to discourage you from going to a meeting. But since you sound like an able-bodied fellow, if you're truly ready to quit drinking, I think you'll walk through the doors.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 28
Originally Posted by courage2 
This is an interesting thread -- but I don't quite understand why your big focus is on going to a meeting, Jason. Do you think just by being there, you'll get it -- you'll get sobriety? I don't think so, myself.
I don't think you can trick the alcoholic brain into recovery, although I do think that it can trick you into a relapse. But relapse can happen in a second, and recovery takes sustained work. Some trick, or the help of some other person, might get you into a meeting room, but if you're not willing to trudge the mind-numbingly painful days of early recovery, do the work, take all the suggestions, etc., being in a meeting room won't help you much.
I'm not trying to discourage you from going to a meeting. But since you sound like an able-bodied fellow, if you're truly ready to quit drinking, I think you'll walk through the doors.
I don't think you can trick the alcoholic brain into recovery, although I do think that it can trick you into a relapse. But relapse can happen in a second, and recovery takes sustained work. Some trick, or the help of some other person, might get you into a meeting room, but if you're not willing to trudge the mind-numbingly painful days of early recovery, do the work, take all the suggestions, etc., being in a meeting room won't help you much.
I'm not trying to discourage you from going to a meeting. But since you sound like an able-bodied fellow, if you're truly ready to quit drinking, I think you'll walk through the doors.
There's no like button on this forum!!!!!!
Awaiting Email Confirmation
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 53
If you're not too that drawn to AA, motivated to go, you may find groups like SMART more enticing, they take a pretty different angle to recovery.
There is no requirement to make a lifetime commitment to the programme and labels are not thought to help with recovery and are avoided.
There is no requirement to make a lifetime commitment to the programme and labels are not thought to help with recovery and are avoided.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Norwich
Posts: 35
No don't get me wrong when I went to AA it was an eye opener and I believe it is the only place I will 'recover'. I remember my first meeting I wasn't even close to admitting I was an alcoholic. But I went again 4 years later and I had matured and was in a far worse state and it all made so much sense, since the second visit I haven't contested my powerlessness but I have 'bargained' a lot and now I am here.
I know AA will work and genuinely feel I am edging closer. Sick of waking up every day and wondering what I have put on Face Book, who I sent a drunk text to etc...
So I am going to try and be productive and write some reasons that I should stop drinking, in no particular order (A public confessional):
1) I am dementia nurse and see on a daily basis the effect of heavy drinking and cognitive decline.
2) My daughter is 6 and is starting to notice.
3) It makes me fat.
4) It makes me unfit, when I was not drinking I cycled 874 miles in 3 days 15 hours for charity, although you could argue that the only reason I accomplished this was due to being dry drunk...
5) I have some small sores on my skin due to my high liver values.
6) It makes me do things I shouldn't.
7) It drains me of £400 a month? Hell hadn't really realised that until I added it up!
8) I don't want to die young, I want to be there for my daughter.
9) I do nothing with my day, I work like a nutter get home at 4 or 5pm and just drink...wake at 4am, Red Bull and some dry heaves and start the cycle over.
I think writing that has been a good exercise! Hopefully it is grammatically correct?!
Thanks for the continued responses.
Jason.
I know AA will work and genuinely feel I am edging closer. Sick of waking up every day and wondering what I have put on Face Book, who I sent a drunk text to etc...
So I am going to try and be productive and write some reasons that I should stop drinking, in no particular order (A public confessional):
1) I am dementia nurse and see on a daily basis the effect of heavy drinking and cognitive decline.
2) My daughter is 6 and is starting to notice.
3) It makes me fat.
4) It makes me unfit, when I was not drinking I cycled 874 miles in 3 days 15 hours for charity, although you could argue that the only reason I accomplished this was due to being dry drunk...
5) I have some small sores on my skin due to my high liver values.
6) It makes me do things I shouldn't.
7) It drains me of £400 a month? Hell hadn't really realised that until I added it up!
8) I don't want to die young, I want to be there for my daughter.
9) I do nothing with my day, I work like a nutter get home at 4 or 5pm and just drink...wake at 4am, Red Bull and some dry heaves and start the cycle over.
I think writing that has been a good exercise! Hopefully it is grammatically correct?!
Thanks for the continued responses.
Jason.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 28
How does it make you feel when you wake up and have to check your fb or texts to see wtf you wrote or said? How does it make you feel knowing that your daughter will only notice more as she grows and maybe she will turn to alcolhole because she thinks that's the answer?
Keeping it simple!
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Surrey, BC
Posts: 3,282
Originally Posted by JasonBasin
No. But I do feel closer to going. Someone questioned if I had really accepted that I powerless to alcohol and I would reply yes, I get that I really do...but it does not logically follow that we all decide to do something about it...but I can feel something changing from the massive amount of responses I have received. I feel closer to 'going'...
Should I force a rock bottom? I am good at staying just above 'rock bottom'!!!
Should I force a rock bottom? I am good at staying just above 'rock bottom'!!!
I was willing to do anything to get my booze to stay drunk. Now turn it around. I'm willing to do anything to get off the booze to stay sober.
Keep it simple. You know what you need to do.
Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 14,934
You can't "trick" yourself into going to a meeting.
You also can't tickle yourself. It's just not possible.
Here is what I would suggest.
Get in the car and go to a meeting. When you get there, walk in and announce that it is your first meeting (close enough) and that you need some help quitting alcohol.
Then come back here and tell us about it. Heck, start a new thread about it. I bet you will be pleased by how good it feels to take action to beat this thing.
Good luck. Tell us how the meeting goes.
You also can't tickle yourself. It's just not possible.
Here is what I would suggest.
Get in the car and go to a meeting. When you get there, walk in and announce that it is your first meeting (close enough) and that you need some help quitting alcohol.
Then come back here and tell us about it. Heck, start a new thread about it. I bet you will be pleased by how good it feels to take action to beat this thing.
Good luck. Tell us how the meeting goes.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 95
Jason, go for it! I'm going to my first AA meeting tomorrow, I'm nervous as heck but I'm doing it. I've got to the point I feel I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I also stopped feeling that I was somehow 'better' than the folk who go to AA.....I'm not at all, I am exactly the same as them.
I also stopped feeling that I was somehow 'better' than the folk who go to AA.....I'm not at all, I am exactly the same as them.
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