Thanks Mark I know it won't be easy but I am committed to doing this I am going to my first AA meeting this tues night

loretta wrote:

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Hi my name is loretta I am new here and have no clue how to use this board or what i am doing. But I am a Alcoholic and want to get sober and stay sober. I found a local AA meeting thatI am going to start going to. I am a single mom to an 8 year old boy. I have tried to get sober on my own numerous times w/o any support and failed so now I know i have to have help

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Welcome

I like you have no clue how to use this board and admit you have tried numerous times to get sober on your own and failed, for me I had to admit I had no clue how to get sober too, the great thing about that repeated failure and self bludgeoning is it made me teachable, and I had the gift of desperation, so I was open minded, those are said to be the keys to sobriety

Honesty
Open minded
Willingness

and that's How it works, we bring these ingredients to our first meeting, and the truth is, you never have to drink again, that is not everybodies experience, some of us relapse, but the truth is, come to a meeting, raise your hand as a newcomer, ask for help, find a sponsor, work the steps out of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" which generate a personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism, then pass on what you have learned and Robert is your fathers brother

it's really that simple

Larry_H wrote:

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I found this on wikiHow I did not write it but I like it.  I would like your comments. Are any additions or subtractions needed?

Remember the subect is "How to get through your first Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting" 

I am going to print this and keep it handy for 12th step work

Larry,
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I go to meetings to hear voices other than my own

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How to get through your first Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting

originated by:Ljp26, Maluniu

Nobody wants to go to their first Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting. Everyone is afraid. AA welcomes everyone, and

you don't need to meet any requirements. If you've ever thought of going, or have been told you must go, here's what to do.

1 Find a meeting. There are lots of sources. Call the nearest Alcoholics Anonymous Intergroup office, visit http://www.aa.org, ask a church pastor or anyone you might know in recovery. Many cities have hundreds, or even over a thousand AA meetings each week.

2 Pick a compatible meeting. If you're going because you are curious about AA, go to an "open" meeting, which is for anyone. Closed meetings are only for people who have decided they have a problem with alcohol and want to stop drinking. Some meetings are for men only or women only, are foreign language speaking or are for other special groups. The sources above can guide you to the right meeting.

3 Ask for a ride if you don't have a way to get there. The local AA office can usually arrange for someone who is going to the meeting to pick you up.

4 Get there early. Many meetings are held in churches. Watch what door people go in so you can follow them to the right room. If you aren't sure if you're at the right place, ask someone if it is the meeting for "friends of Bill W."

5 Expect to see all kinds of people there: young, old, worn-down, elegant. They may be very different than you. You might be surprised that so many people look healthy and happy. They are all there for the same reason no matter how they look on the outside.

6 Relax. You aren't required to do or believe anything. You don't have to say a word.

7 Watch how the meeting works. They usually begin with volunteers reading from AA literature, followed by a group discussion, book study or featured speaker.

8 Sometimes the leader will ask if anyone is at their first AA meeting. If you want, you can raise your hand and give your first name.

9 Listen. You will get a lot out of your first meeting by hearing others' experiences. You might not understand all the discussion, but try to find something you can relate to.

10 When they pass the basket for donations, you do not have to contribute. If you want to, the normal contribution is $1 or $2 in the U.S. Don't give more than what others are giving.

11 Take a white chip if offered. Some groups give chips to people have been sober for a length of time. They also give a white chip to anyone who doesn't want to drink just for one day. Chips are reminders to help you stay sober. They are free.

12 Ask the chairperson after the meeting for a directory that shows where and when meetings are held. You can go to as many meetings as you want. If you go to a second meeting located near the first one, you might recognize people that were at the first meeting.

Tips

Meetings start on time. Plan to get there early and stay late so people can introduce themselves.

If you get there late, it's OK. Just go in and sit down.

Tell someone you are new. They will probably introduce you to others.

Go sober and not high. Otherwise the experience won't be very useful.

During the meeting, don't ask questions or talk to anyone in the group directly, even if it seems like someone is talking directly to you. Stay after the meeting to ask questions or tell them your story.

There is a lot of laughter in AA meetings. It's also OK to cry.

If you see someone there that you know, don't worry that they will "tell on you." They are probably there for the same reason you are.

Go to a different meeting if you don't hear anything that you can relate to. Each meeting has a unique personality.

If people give you their phone numbers, they want to help if you need it. Call them before you take a drink. Say that they gave you their number at the meeting and you want to drink.

Warnings

Never drive with alcohol in your system, even if you think you need to get to an AA meeting right away. Get someone to give you a ride instead.

The group might ask you to leave and come back another day if you are disruptive or start rambling about something other than alcohol.

Once you get home don't talk about who was there or what they said. One of AA's mottos is "Who you see here, what you hear here, let it stay here."

 

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Dear loretta,
Welcome to MIP message board.  I have found something I did not believe was possible and that is actual true joy.  This has happend for me by applying myself to the AA program of recovery which includes working the 12 steps with effort.  This message board has been a place of comfort, knowledge, and growth for me.  Hope to see you around.

Hi Loretta, and welcome to the board. you can pm me or any of the regulars with specific questions about the use of the board. There's not much to it.

Hi Loretta -- welcome to the board. Your beer consumption sounds about like mine before I came into AA.

Today, thanks to AA, I haven't had a single beer -- the great thing about AA is that it teaches us how not to drink today. Of course, over time, those todays add up! :)

Great that you're going to the meeting. Let us know how you find it. And keep coming back!

Steve

Yeah, that much beer every other day. That's a lot. Do go to AA, but do go see your doctor too. It won't get any better, you won't be able to "moderate" or "taper off". You'll have to stop completely.

Normal people have 2-3 drinks then start feeling woozy or icky and they stop. It's not because they have more willpower than us, it's just that continuing to drink is more unpleasant than stopping. But we don't have that "off" switch, It's a biological thing as well as a character thing.

Hi my name is Bill and I am a recovered alcoholic. I found a way to live so that I never ever ever have to take a drink of alcohol ever again.I surrendered to a God that I avoided the one I mis understood.And he put me with people who are just like me .I. have little controlover the amount I drink and once I put it down I can stay stopped . I suffer from a disease that only a change in personality or spiritual experience will concure. I have that is medically incurable .I or no other human power your kid can produce that. But the God that makes sence to me is the one who is in the impossible bussiness.he can keep me sober for one day .that is a maracle.for a guy that had to drink every day.well every day I had money or was not in jail.ibdont have to go to japicking about that first drink I ask A power hreater than me to help me stay sober today and I thnk him at night .I promise you that if you honestly say that prayer he will make sure that you won't and at the end of that day thank him for one day of not drinking .I promise you that I say that same prayer every day since march 17 1991 . And I don't have to take that first drink thank you God .for a 12 step program. Me and about a million other drunks will be praying for you. We don't want you to suffer any more.