Thanks for the reply. Yes, two days without drinking after nearly 8 years of heavy drinking nearly every day. I've never made a previous attempt. I've been told I'm stubborn, it will be hard - very hard, but I'm going to make this work. I have reached out to the local AA and will be attending the next meeting this Sunday. At this point I've just said NO MORE and have been educating myself with everything (online & books) I can learn about steps to recovery. I guess you could say this guy doesn't know a thing about getting sober and that would be true. Just trying to make a first small step.

You know. I'm 43. 20 years ago I was drinking. Not every day and not a lot. But nothing like the last 8-years. Every night has been a hard drunk. Feeling ashamed, the increased relationship conflicts with my wife, kids hearing and seeing it. Hiding bottles, sneaking drinks, using it as an excuse to not face things sober. It's not what I want for them or me. Thanks again.

ForFamily wrote:

---

I'm from Lincoln, NE. You were right. Checked the schedule again and assumed AA scheduled on Sunday as that is where the scheduled started. Scrolled down and they have them each day! lincaa.org/meetings-events/meeting-list/

---

 a-ha! That's good. Yup, you got a ton of meetings within easy access every day. If you have any questions about some of the stuff on that list, just ask.

For example, you'll see a column near the right that shows "closed" or "open". A "closed" meeting is for AA members only, and the only requirement for membership is that you have a desire to stop drinking, so that includes you. So these "closed" meetings are for people who identify themselves as an alcoholic, or who at least can state that they have a desire to stop drinking. An "open" meeting is open to anyone, including people who don't have a drinking problem but might want to attend an AA meeting for some other reason, like a student working on a psych paper or whatever.

Also, look at the column near the left that shows the 'name' of the meeting. Many of these are just kinda random nicknames and they don't really have any particular meaning, but some of them might mention 'newcomers' or 'step one' or something like that, and those might be especially good meetings to attend for someone who is new, so be sure to check those out. You may also notice some listed as 'women's meetings', so it would be best to pick a different meeting, etc.

 

What worked for me when I was new was to get there a few minutes early. It was more comfortable than arriving late, after the meeting had started and everyone was already seated. Also, it gives us the opportunity to introduce ourselves and tell people that we are new and are looking for help. Otherwise, people may just assume you've been sober a long time and they just haven't seen you before. Then, after the meeting, avoid the urge to bolt out of the room and stick around for a few minutes. Talk to some people and ask them to help you get some AA literature. Make sure you get a printed local meeting directory. Ask some people if they can recommend other good meetings for you to go to next, and then when you get there' you'll already be seeing some familiar faces. Trust me, as soon as you let peopel know that you are new, they will be glad to help because that's what others did for them when THEY were new.

So let us know what you decide to do, and please come on back here after the meeting and tell us how it went, okay?

.... and of course feel free to ramble on here too regardless, you don't have to wait until after the meeting to do that. We're here to help.

Just as a bit of background, I 'crashed and burned' and got sober in 1988, and I've been sober since then. 

Getting sober in AA is the best thing that has ever happened to me. 

The others here have been through the same wringer with their drinking, some got sober a long time ago and some more recently.

There are ALL kinds of people in AA, from every kind of social and economic background. We're quite different from one another in many ways, but when it comes to our problems with alcohol and our efforts to achieve and maintain sobriety, we have a common language. We're like a bunch of shipwreck survivors who share the same lifeboat and we help each other.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Welcome to MIP ForFamily ... I'm excited to hear what you think of your 1st meet'n ... be sure to let us know ...

Hey welcome ForFamily!!! So good to have you here!

Hey forfamily. I'm only 18 days sober but it probably wouldnt be for these guys on this forum. Also They pushed me to get to meetings as soon as possible. I found it best to go to 2 or maybe even 3 meetings a day for the first few days or week. I do one a day during the week and 2 a day during the weekend. It is totally worth it and gives me a constant reminder not to drink. Also I always hear something in the meeting that makes my day a little better and gives me some inspiration. You end up having a family there as well as home. I am sure they will be super welcoming. Glad you are here!

Ditto what DaveP said ... I could not have said that better if I tried ... thanks Dave ... and wow, what a great post Sorb ...