hi Brian, just wondering, have you heard 'your story' come out of someone elses mouth (yet)? when that happened to me it connected me even more to the fellowship. i finally had role models and people i could talk to after the meeting about what worked for them when 'things' did not go right in their lives. number one suggestion was, pick up the phone and use it, then next was finding someone whose story was similar to mine and ask if they would be my sponsor. i now have a group of AA women that have become my sisters and we can support each other when "life" deals us lemons or hand granades and share how we came through a bad day, week, year, without drinking. we also are able to share the joy, peace, love, serenity, and spiritual awareness that AA (and God) has given us in this new life without alcohol. oh, one more thing..... i took a note book with me and wrote down the "pearls of wisdom" that hit me as people shared and mentioned the corresponding page in the Big Book. i still have it. it helped me focus on the speaker/sharer and i could go back later if i forgot what page they mentioned. it could even be part of journaling that sponsors encourage newcomers to write... it documents recovery and lessons. very proud of you, keep up the good work.
Thanks JJ, Ive actually noticed the exact thing your talking about. When Im in an AA room, Its like the other members who are taking are telling me my story. Its like Im hearing my own troubles coming from another person and it helps me recover. I keep hearing that from other people too, is that when theyre in the rooms, theyre "hearing theyre story" thanks,
Ya know jj, ... I keep hearing my story over and over and over ... ... ... Think God thinks I am 'hard-headed'??? ... Yep, I think He feels I need to be reminded from wince I came ... heehee
I hear a new-comer(or old-timer) explain what they did to get a seat in these rooms and I just say to myself, yep I did that ... or yep, I was locked up, or yep, I tore my family apart, or yep I drank that much, or yep, I lost that kind of money, or yep, I nearly died from this disease ... ETC. ... ETC. ... ...
I usually have to do a quick 'gratitude' list before I get real depressed remembering all the sh_t I did ... I do remember that I, in fact, earned my chair here in the meetings ... I didn't just say one day,"Hey, wonder what's going on in AA today? and then happen to walk in" .... NOPE ... I was driven here out of my own shear desperation ... begging for a solution ...
Congrats Closer, ... you're off to a good start ...
God Bless, Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
In the Doctor's Opinion ... ... ... He says: "This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an ENTIRE psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery." ...
Closer? ... ... welcome to the beginning of the psychic change ... keep up the good work ....
God Bless, Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
