Quote:
Originally Posted by Leed
Personally, I think this whole "exactly" business STINKS. How can a meeting be EXACTLY on time, when people want to speak. Are you going to tell them to SHUT UP, basically like SHE did?? This is terrible, and it is UNLIKE ANY other meeting I have EVER been in, and I've been in many many meetings in my 19 years of sobriety.
Your group needs to have a group conscience to change these activities, and see if the group wants to keep it the same or change it. The group CAN change this, if by VOTE the majority wants change. If they all want to keep it the same, then so be it. But have a group conscience -- it's allowed by the Rules of AA. Every meeting I've been to has gone overtime, so allow EVERYONE to speak as long as they need to. It never goes TOO far overtime because we DO point out the time when we get close to closing. But everyone gets to talk when they need.
This sponsor of yours was TOTALLY OUT OF LINE. She should NOT have spoken out of turn. And this "time" thing has got to go! God bless and I hope things get changed around. God bless & please take care. Hugs, Lee  |
Thanks Lee. Yes, this group is really rigid. And, as far as group conscience goes, we have a "steering committee" which you need to "run for office for." The "steering committee" meets once a month, and then group consciences are done or not done based on them. So basically what I'm saying is that there is never any change at this club, ever. The club just celebrated its 11th anniversary. The "core members" are mostly still there, they want it this way, I see new people come and go all the time. But then, in AA in general that happens. But these people are, IMO, insanely ****-retentive. The one place in the world that should be a "soft place to fall" is AA (especially for the majority of us who don't have a family who provided us with that.) So to go there, volunteer to chair a meeting, then be criticized for not keeping to a schedule really sends a message to others of: WHY THE HELL BOTHER.
Oh, another thing: this group regularly throws out drug addicts who will not call themselves alcoholics. If they will only say they are addicts and not alcoholics, there are men there dedicated to walking them out to the parking lot. In the middle of the meeting. And yes, I've personally witnessed it three times. Where do you think those three guys went immediately after being thrown out? Well, we don't know but anyone could guess. At my old meetings in other places, we accepted anyone. Drug addicts, alcoholics, even once a food addict who couldn't find another meeting. One alanon gal who was more comfortable there than at Alanon. Those were my old meetings, in other places. Where I live now, that is all considered travesty.
BTW I saw my sponsor today at the same meeting when I had to chair. I was scared to death of keeping to the clock. But I did. I gave her my best big old fake smile and that was it. I am actively shopping for a new sponsor as we speak.