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LiteraryLark
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Default Apr 02, 2023 at 12:47 AM
  #1
To keep it short, my therapist has encouraged me to seek a support group such as AA. I decided I will go to an AA meeting, but I am extremely nervous. I am afraid of being put on the spot and telling my story about my alcohol problem. I am afraid of "getting to know" the people at AA. I am afraid it will be uncomfortable or awkward. And I am not very familiar with AA meetings and I do not know what to expect.

If I can practice here, and this is not something I share openly...my parents are alcoholics, and I am resentful because it has led both me and my sibling to have alcohol problems. I have bad memories associated with alcohol, and I drink excessively though I typically drink alone. It has made me an angry person, and it led to an incident where my therapist was concerned enough to suggest I seek help, and since she and the people close to me are concerned about my drinking, I decided I will try AA.

Will someone walk me through what I can expect? Do people really find it helpful? I will be attending an in-person meeting.
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Default Apr 02, 2023 at 09:41 AM
  #2
Ever watch Mom? Mom was a sit one that had lots of AA meeting in it. From what my cousin tells me it’s close to the real thing, but that was a closed meeting. There’s open meetings where the chairs face front. And they have speakers. They ask if anyone wants to say something but you don’t have to. Closed meeting are only for those with an alcohol problem. They go around and say the classic , my name is ———- I’m an alcoholic. But you can pass and say nothing. Just listen.

I’ve been to open NA meetings to get support for my ex husband’s addiction. The run pretty much the same. Participation is entirely voluntary. You can go and just listen if that’s all you want. Depending on the size of your community there’s all kinds of meetings. Men only, women only, younger people, ohhh I can’t recall all the different kinds but I encourage you to visit many different ones until you find the one that fits for you.

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Default Apr 02, 2023 at 09:43 AM
  #3
Good for you for deciding to take a look at your drinking and deciding to try a support group.

I can give you the advice that I was given when I went to my first AA meeting.

Go to an open meeting. An open meeting is simply one to which everyone, not just alcoholics, can attend. Up here, those are usually speaker meetings where one or two people share their story of addiction and recovery. There's usually no pressure to speak, and if you are asked if you want to speak, it's totally fine to say "I'm just listening today." Sometimes they'll ask if anyone is new or wants to introduce themselves. Totally up to you whether or not you do.

When you get there, there are often greeters at the door welcoming people. You can say nothing or you can tell one of them, that it's your first meeting. I'd recommend that. People in AA are in my experience very friendly and supportive. If you tell someone it's your first meeting, they'll probably show you where the coffee is, show you some introductory literature and introduce you to a few other people. The friendliness can feel kind of overwhelming at first but just remember that everyone who is there is there because they want to not drink, and they want to support each other in acheiving that.

Some of the language of the meeting may seem foreign or old fashioned. That's ok, it takes a bit to get fully comfortable with the program. I usually tell people to attend 5 different meetings before deciding if AA is right or wrong for them..

I went to AA for years and it helped me, although I did struggle with staying sober. I've been sober just under 4.5 years now and my current recovery program is actually Women for Sobriety which just is a better fit for what I believe. You can google them if you want to see what they're about.

If you're interested in exploring other sobriety groups, in addition to Women for Sobriety, there's also SMART recovery which uses a more CBT approach to recovery. I have a number of friends who like and use SMART recovery.

If you'd like any other info, feel free to pm me.

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What to Expect at AA?
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Default Apr 10, 2023 at 10:52 AM
  #4
Hi there!

So I am in a long-term rehab program now, which I have been in for 13 months that follow the AA program and the 12 steps. Since getting a sponsor, and exploring this, my life has changed dramatically because my bipolar was just exacerbated by my excessive drinking. I learned that these behaviors from all my drinking made my illness so much worse, because of course I was mixing my meds with the alcohol.

AA meetings are great, I've learned a lot from them. Like other people said, you don't have to share you can just listen. I go to Al-Anon for family members of alcoholics and it has helped me a lot in my anger for my dad's drinking and abuse. You can find a lot of support in these groups and I know a lot about them.

If you want to learn more or just talk about it, feel free to PM me, I would love to help.

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