For me personally, its given me the satisfaction of knowing that my ESH does not die with me when I leave this earth. Someone benefitted. I come to this site 5 or 6 times a day. Its on my favorites list. I have benefitted by keeping in touch with my fellows and drawing strength from the many posts. Thanks to all of you who do the footwork quietly in the background, to make MIP available. To you John, please remind us again and feel free to poll us anytime.

I really enjoy the MIP forum.  It's a supplement to my full AA program.  While at work I have the freedom(thanks to God) to check the site a couple of times a day.  It's a nice place to share my E,S & H with others and learn and grow in God's spirit.  This site has the regulars attendees who feel like family to me, eventhough I've never met them personally.  The people on this site also do a great job of carrying the message to the newcomer looking for help!  That's our primary purposes. 

Being a night person as well as one who likes the internet forum communication medium, I find MIP to be valuable in that it's always there, any time I want to read a little ESH, or some thought enters my head that I want to float and put into words.

I'm also well aware this is a public forum, it can be read by non-members, so I protect my annonymity within the confines of the forum. 

It's not a replacement for F2F meetings, nor would I expect it to be.  But it does bridge the gap between meetings.  I don't usually come here if I'm having an accute crisis - I have other channels for that.  But I may come here to talk about the aftermath or just in general about life changes (like getting married after many years single!), or like I said when some thought pops in my head (Star Trek anyone?).

In my early sobriety I spent a lot of time on line chatting and emailing, back in the days before everybody had a computer and before Al Gore invented the internet... but I never really had a place to talk the program in those days, it was just something to do with what used to be my drinking time.   I don't know what it would be like to try and get sober using MIP or online contacts only.  For some, it may be the only option, but I don't know if I'd get the same sense of being "at home" here, if I hadn't previously experienced it in person in the rooms of AA.

Barisax

MIP has really helped me keep AA, my sobriety and recovery a priority in my life, even while my life changes. I have always benefited from "switching things up" a bit over the years to keep me active and on my toes. Some of it is simple - new meetings, institution meetings, different AA literature, sponsoring people in prison, whatever. This is just one more opportunity to get and give ESH in recovery. I feel like I know many of you on this board and am grateful for the site and all who share in it!

MIP means to me, a place where everyone is in the same boat as you are.  Whether you have 1 Minute in or Many Years.

Each one of us has the same problem and are trying to deal with it in our own way, but with a lot of help from Friends.

We are a Family in many ways also.

So lean on each other for Help and Support, We will help you get through it all.

I get home from work late at night 4 days a week and this is where I spend my down time getting my head screwed on in the right direction.  I can't imagine having to do early sobriety without MIP.  It was a total lifeline to recovery.  I often talk fondly of the fellowship here in my face to face meetings.  It helps me stay connected to recovery and AA when life gets in the way.  I love the idea that I might be of service and give back what was given to me.  I went to my first meeting and discovered AA after posting here and reading the threads carefully.