Hi Amy,

Please try not to be nervous about your first meeting. You will be met with love and understanding. You will meet other people who have been exactly where you are now and who will offer you genuine help and support.

If you are really nervous you could always 'phone your local helpline and see if they can arrange for someone to meet you outside the meeting room and then introduce you to a few people there. Make sure that you mention that you're new so that they can welcome you properly.

People will give you their 'phone numbers so that you can call them for a little extra help and support if you want or need it. I always give my number to newcomers and I love it when they call, as they are helping me, too.

Meetings consist of alcoholics who take turns talking about their disease and there usually is a topic for discussion. You won't be required to participate if you don't want to. It really helps me enormously to listen to what other recovering alcoholics have to say. It makes me feel that I wasn't alone and that there is help in managing my disease.

And, I now have some wonderful friends!

There are Big Book meetings, Step meetings, Discussion meetings and Beginners meetings. Let us know how your first meetings go for you, won't you? Try a few different ones and see how you find them.

Take care,

Carol

First off, Congratulations.  It is a courageous thing you are doing.  Now all you need to do is show up.  In some areas they have chip systems to demark your time sober within the first year.  I would pick up a white chip if this is the case.  That will let everyone know where you are at and people will approach you after the meeting to congratulate you and also offer you help.  You can probably pick up a big book and other literature for free, as it will be your first meeting...or you might have to pay for one.  They say the books are available "at our cost and your terms."  The terms could be just that you plan to come back.  It will seem that there are a lot of rituals and that is weird at first.  You typically hear the serenity prayer to start a meeting, then someone reads "how it works."  At some point they often read the "description of the alcoholic."  Everyone will chime in at the end of these readings saying the last line.  That part will seem sort of strange but it is comforting after a few meetings when you really start listening to the message.  The theory is that at this meeting, you will be "the most important person in the room."  If anyone tells you that, all it means is that people know how hard it was for you to get to that first meeting and it is AA extending its hand back to you so you know you don't have to do it alone.  The only way that will work is if you speak up....though you don't have to.  Again, Congratulations and keep moving forward.  Meetings were so positive for me in the first 30 days I went to up to 3 a day.  Let us know how you are doing.  Bless you.

Mark

P.S.  I cried so hard at my first meeting and people surrounded me with love.  I continued to cry through several of my first meetings.  You don't have to put up any front.  Nobody judges and people cry at meetings all the time.

-- Edited by pinkchip at 07:28, 2009-01-25