GracieLou

I am also glad it went well.

I have one place I go often. Most are lead meetings with one being a mini-lead/topic meeting.

This is where I consider my home base. There are 3 meetings I attend here during the week, give or take a meeting if I am busy. I know most of the people there and I enjoy seeing them every week. This is the fellowship part of my recovery.

I also go there Saturday morning which is my home group. I am getting to know the people there. It is taking a little longer as I only see them once a week but I am comfortable there. This is my service/action part of my recovery.

Monday is my BB meeting, my favorite meeting, my sponsor also attends this meeting and is the study part of my recovery.

I am happy with my recovery balance. A mix is what I need to keep focused.

Just take your time, attend different meetings and get to know people and where you feel comfortable at. It does take a little time but you will find your comfort zone

nettles

Thanks, Gracie...
There is a clubhouse closer to my house, but it's only open during meeting times. The place I went to yesterday is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., so people can drop in and hang out even if there isn't a meeting going on. There's always a person there.

There was such a nice, homey feel to the place. The lady who chatted with me for a long while told me of other good meetings she goes to, as well. I know things will all fall into place. : )

GracieLou

As a person that used to go to bars years ago it gave me that feeling or they have that atmosphere to me and I cannot handle that setting. I prefer to go to my meeting and then go home or on to whatever else I have planned.

I am not saying it is not right for you. If you feel right and it is comfortable then by all means hang out there

We all have are own path to follow.

FeenixxRising

I agree with this. There are some bad cases in the meetings I attend. But they are there and they participate.

nettles

I drank at home, so anything that gets me out of here is awesome! Wish I hadn't been a home drinker.

Carlotta

I was a home drinker too.
Like Gracie Lou I am not into the clubhouse scene either but I am lucky, my home group meets 5 times a week. Be careful on that scene being brand new, bright eyed and bushy tailed especially if you are female. Steer clear of the opposite sex at the clubhouse (if a guy tries to pick you up, tell him there are only 12 steps in AA) and away from gossip and politics.
That being said, I know some people who were very isolated and struggling in the beginning for whom having a place open all day was a life saver.
You are motivated and have a great attitude Nettles. Keep it up and you will make it. Wishing you the best in your recovery

GracieLou

Let me clear that up. I was a bar fly then became a home drinker. The last six years or so I drank at home. I just wanted to be left alone with my bottle.

I would listen to Carlotta's advice, just be careful at the clubs. Like I said I just do not feel comfortable there but again if it gets you out and you stay sober then nothing but good can come of that.

Carlotta

Amen to that
Also we have a saying: the men with the men, the women with the women. It does not mean that you cannot be friendly and shoot the breeze with the guys but it means that it is inappropriate for a man (unless he is gay) to offer to help you with the program, take you to meetings or give you his phone number.
Talking to that lady was a great start befriend the "old hens" and they will take you under their wings.

bemyself

Hi nettles - nice to meet you!

I'm far from the world's hugest fan of AA (as some here will know), but am also (I realised this arvo) effectively a 'still suffering alcoholic'. i.e. the most time sober I have is six months last year, been battling numerous relapses / getting sober / relapses this year, to this very day.

Although I know it's not quite your main point, someone brought up the little flurry of discussion about squirming through the reading done by those with varying degrees of brain damage / other illnesses which affect their 'performance'. I struck just such a regular woman at the meeting I've come home from: she appears to have some kind of pretty severe acquired brain injury (whether from drink or something else or both, I don't know).

But I REALLY had to get outta the house (where I'm alone, and battling constant cravings); this particular meeting - far from one of those where I feel particularly comfortable - is extremely close by to home and the only thing 'on' where I can go on a Saturday arvo.

Because I've slowly learned - relapses and all - to get a little less high-handed (in my mind) about sober alcoholics who APPEAR to be 'not all there' (to put it politely), I was able to sit through this woman's torturous reading of the promises. All I could think was: OK, this is a type of agony for those of us who are more fluent / educated etc.

BUT guess what? She's sober some few years. I'm not. I'm still struggling. So I sat there, quietly, without any arrogant head-rants and sighing and shifting in my seat. I just sat, and heard her read them. Not even sure I 'believe' said promises yet; may never. I don't know. But that's another story. For this recovery thing is very much a process.

Blessings to ya Nettles! Really pleased you've found somewhere and some people who've made you welcome.

Carlotta

We have a couple of African members in my home group. One of them loves to read the promises and his reading skills are far from perfect. What is really cool is that he has 7 years sober and the promises came true for him, forget the package and the delivery he is the content.

bemyself

Jeepers, I got a thanks from a few bods whom I don't often agree with :-)

Just goes to show, does it not, that us alcoholics can slowly overcome our respective intolerances: for the alphabet soup mavericks on one hand, for the keen AA'ers on the other. We truly are all in it together - whatever we attend, whatever program - or none or several - that we do.

Indeed, only at that meeting yesterday, a speaker noted, among other things (most of which I didn't agree with :-) that yeah, we were just there, that afternoon, with 'people we wouldn't normally associate with'. The same with SR, bless 'er. The SR ship.