tink360

Hey everyone!!! I went to check in at my rehab and the counslers invited me to speak at the meeting tonight...Im very excited but slightly nervous...im not sure what im gunna say exactly but im just praying to god that i say something to share my strength and hope and that i encourage others and help them on their road to recovery....speaking at this meeting is a big step for me...any advice or suggestions before i go?

hopealwayz

Pray for God to guide your words and to let other hearts be open to hear them.
I am sure that you will do great! This is a great growth experience for you
and you will be able to keep what you have by giving it away. I am sure you
will find just the right words to speak at the meeting. Please let us know how it goes.
I will be thinking of you.

Hugs,
Cheryl

tink360

thanks...im hoping i dont get so nervous that i start to stutter or something...i forgot to mention that one of the reasons im so nervous is that my family will be attending the speaker meeting and there are alot of things they dont yet know that i usually share...

hopealwayz

Just speak from the heart and the words will come.

ASH

Hi Tink, you will be great, just speak from your heart, you have much to share that can help those starting out, you can remember how lonely and frightening it its in the beginning, and share with them that it does get better.

Let us know how it goes, I am sure you will be SUPER!

PS If you feel nervous just take a breath and slow down a bit, I qwill be thinking of you tonight...

tink360

ok guys...thanks for the advice...here i go...wish me luck!!!!

tink360

i spoke at the meeting and it was awesome...i got alot of good replies from people afterwards and 2 people told me my story was very inspirational...it felt good to be a part of someone elses recovery like that...one girl looked like she was in tears and i felt like i really touched peoples hearts...its really hard to explain the feeling i got going home...i just felt like i did something big and i prayed one day i could do it again...

Greenbug

Thats awesome Tink!

amymarie

(((((Tink)))))
Yay! So proud of you!!!

Greenbug

Question:
looking back when you got into the rooms did you ever think that sharing was going to be so rewarding for you and others.

The program has so many things to offer beyond the obvious.

Hang in there, its only get better!

Peace,
~GB

Little Missy

FABULOUS!! Simply fabulous!!

Big Hugs to you!!
Missy

roadie58

That is HOW IT WORKS, good job! Way to do service work! wwooohhoooo

unspun

yeaah ,I get those nervous feelings too, but I completely feel so good afterwards, best high I've ever gotten.

good going

tink360

Its funny that you said that cuz when i called the rehab to check in on how they thought the meeting went last night...thats how i described the feeling i got afterwards..." It almost felt like i was high...High of sharing the joy of sobriety " at first i thought i did it wrong because i havent been sober for that long so i shared the story of my life as i was using and then shared who i am today and how i didnt regret my life because i can help those in similar situations...apparently thats exactly what they needed to hear and it helped some of the people in the rehab open up...they said i was the first speaker they heard to speak of what i did to get to where i was today and it made them feel a sense of relief to hear it that way because sometimes they get the feeling that people just wake up and decide to quit and things started going better...it made them feel good to know that someone so close to the amount of time they had sober was able to share...( normally you have to be sober for a year ) ive been sober 6 months...( 90 days since my relapse ) i thought that talking about my relapse mightve not been a good idea but i guess thats one of the points that also helped because it helped them see the reality of it....i feel like i did a good thing and i recommend for others to share...not just in a meeting but just to anyone interested in hearing it...it definately is another way i found to keep myself sober. when i feel like using i find someone i can share with and as i share i too remmember what it took to get where i am and my cravings are defeated by a sense of not wanting to throw that hard work down the drain...

hopealwayz

Tink, I am so proud of you!
I knew that you would be great !

Time4Change

Awesome, Tink! Absolutely awesome! What a wonderful thread to read this evening. Thank you for sharing your ESH! God bless!

ASH

I got a big smile on my face reading about your success, the fact that you were real to this group and helped some of them open up is just fantastic!