Hopeless1978

Hi everyone!! G'morning! I am still going strong but I wanted to ask if anyone knows of any online support groups without me having to go to AA. I don't think I would be a fan, as I'm not completely comfy with speaking in front of a ton of people! I got bit by the shy bug, unless I get to know someone. SR has been my go-to, but I would like some secondary support. Thanks for your time! Happy Monday! Back to the grind!! :-)

Thepatman

I think there are SMART recovery meetings you can attend on line.

Good luck!

Hopeless1978

Thank you!! I'll have to do some research! I didn't know if there were any specifics?

IOAA2

Hi.
Part of my getting sober was work which involved change. I had to practice doing things I naturally didn’t like, forgetting they were overall good for my sobriety.
Stopping drinking is overall a small important difficult thing we do but to continue staying stopped I needed to fill the void that alcohol had filled by escaping reality.

Who says you have to talk? There are solid members at meetings who still say very little for years though it’s not recommended. We learn by listening. In fact it used to be said to newcomers quite often “take the cotton out of your ears, put it in your mouth, sit up front and listen.” Many are sober today because of that advice.

Meetings are a place where we are understood by understanding and gentle people.

BE WELL

Thepatman

I did a quick search, check this link out.

Online Meetings & Events

Hopeless1978

Thanks so much IOAA2 and a big thank you to Thepatman for taking your time to find me a link!! I appreciate it! I'll check it out in a bit! Just got to work! Blah! What a lousy day! It's pouring out!! I just want to crawl back in bed and go to sleep!!

CaseyW

You don't have to talk at AA meetings if you don't want to. I'd throw away your preconceived notions about them and at least give a handful of face-to-face meetings a chance. Most meetings aren't like what you see on bad tv shows with one person standing at a podium breaking down and crying in front of a huge crowd. They're just people from all walks of life sitting around a room sharing their experience, strength, and hope with each other. Wishing you the best today...

Hopeless1978

Thanks Casey!! I wasn't sure, wasn't trying to have preconceived notions, I thought you had to talk. Thanks for the info! They actually have an old church only like 5min. from me, I'll definitely give it a shot! I need all of the support I can get! :-)

CaseyW

Good for you! Do keep in mind that every meeting is different. If you go to one that you don't care for the format (or the people in a few cases), try a different one. Just like the bars we used to haunt, every AA meeting has a little different personality. Keep looking to see if you find one that suits you.

And if you do get called on to speak, there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying, "I'll pass" or "I'm just here to listen tonight" if you don't feel like talking. No one is going to judge you.

Hope you do go to a meeting and let us know your thoughts on it.

Hopeless1978

Oh, that's great to know! I've definitely never been to one, so I hope I can find one that I like, like you said! I will absolutely let out my thoughts once I start going! I need to find out the hours of the one near me. I work until 5pm and I have a 40min. commute so I'm not sure what their hours are. Hopefully they run after 6pm? Maybe different locations have different hours? Not sure as this is all so brand new to me! I appreciate your help and advice!!

CaseyW

Looks like there are a pretty wide variety of meetings in Holyoke, Mass., and surrounding towns. There are daily schedule links at the bottom of this page:

AA Meeting List English

Congrats on your sobriety and wishing you a safe and sober Monday!

Hopeless1978

THANK YOU!! & the same to you, as well!

ArtFriend

Good luck hopeless1978

Hopeless1978

Thank you so much! I can only try my hardest, right!?

Ruby2

Hi! Everything Casey said. About meetings having different personalities, and about talking, or not talking. You don't have to talk. Sometimes I've gone to meetings and don't want to talk but then hear something that I want to comment on. I'd give it a whirl.

Anna

There are lots of options for getting sober and recovering:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html

Hopeless1978

Thanks so much Ruby! I'm definitely going to give it the good ol' college try! Who knows? I might love it and talk my mouth off! I'll never know unless I give it a try, right? :-)

Hopeless1978

Thanks Anna!! Everyone here is so positive and helpful! It makes the recovery process THAT much easier!! <3

tomsteve

ThanK you, hopeless! It is VERY refreshing to read someone willing to try something different- to face the fears.
In high school my nickname was shyboy. Used that as excuse to drink quite often,too.
Then I got into AA. Learned i wasn't shy. I was full of fear- fear of what others thought of me. Had quite a low self esteem,too.
Been a while since I enterd AA a d still attend meetings regularly, but still don't like large meetings. No fears associated with it. I just don't like large crowds.
A d that's ok.

Thanks, again, for making me smile today.

greens

Woman for sobriety and smart recovery both have online meetings, chats and wfs even has a forum. I'm sure there are other organizations that do.hope you find one you like!