PurpleKnight

Great post!!

SoberLife90

Awesome post! Yeah I felt the same way when i went to AA for the first time lol. So true great post!!!!!!!!!!

Robinson

Been on the fence about joining aa. Thanks for taking the time to write this.

You have helped more than u know.

Rina

Awesome post!! I too was pleasantly surprised after attending meetings compared to my preconceived notions of AA. Even more so after gaining a Sponsor and beginning to really work the steps!!

Jsbodhi

I like AA alot. And I agree, I could identify with the other people on so many different levels, regardless of age, sex, economic status etc.

Kaneda8888

Excellent post ub and quite accurate. Being from Oz, the major difference is that it is very secular here. Usually there is a strict referral to a higher power and little mention of God. And it is heavily emphasised that your higher power can be anything that you find uplifting.

Randola

Excellent Post!!

Having just come back to AA after a long relapse, I had re-formed many of these same prejudices against AA once again, although I, at least at some level, knew that they were unfounded. Much of it was Pride, not wanting to come back after a long absence, and a portion was an even deeper distaste of the spiritual side of AA, having removed myself even further than ever before from my Higher Power during my last go-around with alcohol and drugs. Drinking and using, I have found, shuts us off from the "sunlight of the Spirit".

I was overwhelmed by the welcome back that I have received in my old AA home group, and am more determined than ever to "get it right" this time. I don't ever want to leave the warm fellowship and support of AA again, nor do I ever want to "pick up" again. I made a meeting before work this evening, and plan on making another when I finish up my twelve hour shift at 11 A.M. I should be just in time for the "meeting before the meeting" at noon!!

Thanks for your post. It helped me and I'm sure that it will help others as well.

Eddiebuckle

Ubnt,

Thanks for sharing your perspective. I went to a very good six week inpatient rehab and despite all that it did for me, when I got home I realized very little had changed. I still had the urge to drink. So, as suggested by my counselor before I left, I went to an AA meeting. I was reluctant for many of the reasons you listed... but I knew if I didn't do something different, I was likely going to drink. That was five years ago, and I haven't had a drink since. It wasn't always easy, but it did always work.

Your post likely saved a life, thanks for sharing.

ClearLight

Just caught this thread.
Thanks for the original post.

I'm going to a meeting tonight. Scares the crap out of me. But I have to do SOMETHING.

Your post makes it easier to step in the door.

peanutbutters

I went to my.first meeting today. I was terrified. I cried a bit the first couple minutes like a loon. What am I doing here?? At the end I wasn't scared, I felt hope and laughed a bit too.

I got some numbers and did meet someone I know but haven't seen in years. She's 23 years sober and was happy to see me. She is coming to a meeting with me on Thursday. I'll likely ask her to be my sponser.

Quitting drinking is one thing, figuring out how to live sober is quite another.

Bobcat17

I know this thread is a little old, but thought I'd add to it since I went to my first AA meeting today. It was literally right around the corner from my house, very convenient.

I showed up a few mins late, but was still welcomed by 4 or 5 people there. I just sat in the back and listened, did not speak at all. There was a discussion on 'open mindedness'. Several people spoke during the meeting and shared their experiences. I enjoyed listening to the stories--one person said they have been sober since 1977. Impressive.

I was certainly nervous beforehand (as others have been), but I'm glad I went. I might go to another meeting on Friday.