Dee74

I think anything new, confronting or uncomfortable can trigger us - what did we all do when we felt uncomfortable?

I think it's possible to work through those feelings tho - particularly if you keep going back.

D

Bubovski

No I don't.

The only triggering I encounter at times are good insighs I endeavour to work on.

As for 'bad trigger' I try and have a closer look at myself......... Not all that easy!

humblesunshine

I started attending AA meetings in June after telling my therapist, no how, no way I was going to try AA again. I said, "Those meetings made me want to drink!"

Honestly, I wanted to drink anyway, and saying that was just an excuse. I was able to keep drinking for many years with that excuse.

I'm not saying there's no such thing as a trigger. If you put a bottle of rum in front of me, that would indeed trigger me to want to drink. But perhaps if you feel triggered by AA meetings, you could reach out to your sponsor and other meeting members and find out what exactly it is about the meeting that's giving you those feelings.

thekl0wn

Round 1, yes. I was there to get my paper filled out.

Round 2, no. I went in learning to live sober. I now seek out others in those rooms who need help as well.

For me, it was a matter of making the decision. I had enough. It was about shutting down my thoughts and listening to others.

Nighthawk8820

I went to a few and it wasnt for me. I got annoyed with people who just seemed to whine and complain, instead of taking charge. Its hard for me to understand why people cant use any semblance of willpower. So, it wasnt a trigger for me, but it made me angry and annoyed.........so I chose other routes for my own recovery.

EndGameNYC

If we're going to have cravings, being at a meeting is one of the safest places to be when they hit.

Do you also have cravings on weekends when you're not at a meeting?

I learned that for me, I carry my triggers with me. Nothing in particular sets them off, though since I relapsed, I tend to avoid places and events at which alcohol is part of the scenery.

Louise82

What Dee said makes sense to me. After my first ever meeting I felt a strong urge to drink, so I bought plenty of nice food on my way home and treated myself instead. But no one at the meeting was giving drunkologues so I wasn't triggered by that - it was because it was a new and uncomfortable experience. I'd never been to anything like that before.

But, yeah, I've sat in meetings where someone's described a bottle of beer down to the condensation on the outside of the bottle so I can see how that might be triggering. If that's the kind of thing that's triggering you, I agree with others on this thread that you should seek out Big Book and Step meetings, where people are more likely to be talking about living in the solution than drafting beer adverts.

miamifella

But meetings always end.

And after hearing how wonderfully everyone is doing, how they never get cravings anymore, how they have never even think about using, recovery can feel further away than before.

visch1

For a lot of years now I haven't been to a smoke allowed meeting and I still do 3-5 a week. BE WELL

visch1

I was told after revealing some of the above feelings that perhaps varying meetings or increase my # of meetings per week. I'm an alcoholic and fortunately my desires became mostly nil. BFTGOG BE WELL

MalkavianEmily

I've come out of a meeting, went to get milk and come out with a bottle of vodka I didn't go in for.
Was it down to the meeting? No. It was down to where I was at the time. Not understanding, unable to accept that I was powerless, and generally messed up. I can't blame anyone but me.
And yes, sometimes I find myself wanting to use while I'm in a meeting. That's generally because my head's not in the right place. Although recently I've heard far too many people saying 'Steer clear of relationships because when it goes wrong (when, you notice, not if) you'll end up drinking again.'
Well if you go into anything believing it's going to go wrong, guess what, it will. But it's hard not to let the negativity rub off on you.

Lightning Bug

I think the ones that bother me so much are the ones who romanticize drinking. They miss it so much - so they go on and on about "not being allowed to drink" opposed to how they are stopping.

It is frustrating. And I don't like it.

NA was the worst, though. People who share how they want to smoke dope and then take a potty break and do it in the back. I stopped going there.

Black Bird

The first week I went to AA I wanted to drink after. But then again I wanted to drink all the time, so who knows. I chalked it up to I was sober, interacting with people, talking about feelings, and having people care about me. Very strange to me at first with a clear mind. After the first week and I felt like a semi normal person, my cravings after a meeting went away. Also, I have never been to a meeting where people could smoke inside.

miamifella

A non-addict/non-alcoholic friend suggested that it is good always to have a plan for something to do after the meeting to avoid getting sucked into aftermeeting depression. He also suggested avoiding the meeting-after-the-meeting since having one's shortcomings inventoried would lead me down a bad path.

That's when I realized that having a friend I could speak honestly to did more to help me than anything.

caboblanco

I once went straight to the liquor store after this one meeting. I saw a guy from the meeting there....awkward!

escapist

AA never cured me from drinking. I went there thinking thats what I was getting. I was wrong. The cure was in me. AA is a fellowship but it won't take the craving away.

CAPTAINZING2000

Actually, at an AA meeting is the only time i get reminded I'm an alcoholic. The obsession has long been removed. I go about my daily life and live life to the fullest.

What funny stories that come up in a meeting about our drinking will never replace all the tragic stories of why we're all in a meeting

Nuudawn

Really interesting thread with different rationales...love that about SR.

Carlotta

The obsession was lifted almost immediately for me too. I introduce myself as an alcoholic in AA because
a) That's proper AA etiquette
b) I am an alcoholic
but when I do my visualizations, I think of myself as a sober competent woman. I believe in the laws of attractions to an extent and I avoid negatives (such as non drinker or alcoholic when I think about myself.