Finally Got My 1 Year Coin - Guest Speaker?
 

Well, I finally went in to an AA meeting at Hazelden to get my 1 year coin yesterday. I received much congrats, of course, and even got the chance to see my counselor from my IOP days. He congratulated me and suggested that I speak as a guest during the next IOP guest speaker session.

I'm just not sure what I'd talk about...

Based on what I've seen at other guest speaker sessions, the topic has revolved around 12 step. Now I really don't have much 12 step advice to share. Since 12 doesn't work for me, I just go to AA meetings to collect coins.

I'm hoping that someone else out there may have some good suggestions for what to talk about.

Talk about what you did to stay the course of a life free of alcohol. I have only been to 1 AA meeting in my life and I would have loved to hear from people who didn't follow the 12 steps. AA wasn't a good fit for me at that time, I'm not saying I would never go again but my plan is working thus far and it doesn't involve 12 steps :)

Talk about:

1) What you used to be like in active alcoholism
2) What you did to recover from alcoholism
3) What life is now like for you

Focus more on 2 and 3 than on 1. Use 1 for identification purposes.

You haven't followed those 12 steps, tell them how you do stay stopped and how serene you are!

What a wonderful opportunity! I wish that we had had more speakers at my treatment center talk about non-12 step solutions. It would have made me feel a lot less alone.

I usually share about SR when I talk about my sober journey and have given the website address to many. I don't know that any have showed up here (LOL).

congratulations on 1 year!!!! :c011: :You_Rock_