AA and Introverts

I have some questions for introverts in AA.

Describe how you work your program. How many meetings do you attend weekly? What is your sponsor like? How do you deal with your negative emotions that can be triggered in meetings?

Well, I sat in meetings and listened. I tried not to say much or draw attention to myself. I felt bad for not saying anything.
At first, my sponsor wanted me to go to "30 meetings in 30 days" which, as an introvert, I found exhausting. As you know, introverts get drained around other people and need time to themselves to recharge. Well if a person's schedule is already busy, when are they going to recharge?
I'm not the best person to ask for advice though, because I didn't finish the program the first time around, and I'm just starting out again. I maybe have like 19 days of sobriety right now. In this period of time I have been to one meeting. I checked out a book from the library - "The Narcotics Anonymous Step Working Guides" - and although it is NA, not AA, I have come to realize I am an addict... So fill in the blank with whatever I guess. I have a notebook for working the steps and so far I have written out step one. As it has been 10 days I should probably write out step 2. I do not have another sponsor yet. If negative feelings were triggered in a meeting I would leave.

I have social anxiety, so support groups can make me feel somewhat strange. Especially large ones, so I usually stick to smaller meetings, which tend to be more intimate imo. I also have 20-some years clean and sober and have been to literally thousands of 12 step meetings. Try talking to just 1 person before or after a meeting. As you gradually get to meet some people, you'll feel less awkward as time goes on. I promise, lots of people feel the same way as you.

I'm new to this forum, and I came across this post today. I have been going to aa for the last 5-6 years. I've been sober for 7 years. My program was very flawed, mostly because I was an extreme introvert. Now I'm starting to go on the right track. My program was flawed because my 1st sponsor was not good. My second sponsor, I did not connect with. So I am in the search for a 3rd sponsor in my home group, and I am going to ask someone, who has 2 years....but she is older than me and most likely more wiser. I connect with her great. She is going through a lot now, so I'm going to ask her maybe next week. But my home group was different from my first and second sponsor, which was not a good idea. Also, I was too afraid to ask people for phone numbers in my home group, so I only talked to my sponsors, who went to other meetings. They made a book of phone numbers with me, but I didn't call anyone continually like I should have. I gave up on the people I didn't connect with. Then I gave up contacting people all in general. But I should have kept on making new friends and tried to contact them, but I didn't and that stunted my growth.

How do I deal with negative emotions that trigger me in meetings? I talk one on one with my therapist about it , or even my sponsor or someone in the program.

How many meetings do I go to a week? Now I go to at least 3. When i first went to aa, I went to about 5. But I had a year and a half sober when I first started going to aa. I was a miserable dry drunk until I found aa.

But they say keep on coming back. Just drink and don't go to meetings. That's what I did. Now I'm growing and it's going great. I needed that outside support. Call at least 2-3 people continually to see how they are doing. I love aa. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

Does group meetings really help?

In my experience, group meetings do help me tremendously. In the aa meetings I go to, they say to go to 1 meeting every day for 90 days. I know that seems overwhelming, but just take one day at a time and if you can't go one day then that's ok. If you can't go for 5 days a week, that's ok too. Just make friends at the meetings you go to and they can help guide you.

I know it's really hard to walk through the doors and go to an aa meeting. It depends how desperate you are to stop drinking. But aa meetings do work for tons of people, even if they aren't alcoholic. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.

I had alcohol abuse issues, and I have many characteristics of an alcoholic. But I was never a full blown alcoholic. I never drank every day, but I did drink multiple times a week. I may not even be an alcoholic. But I was certainly heading that way. I'd rather go to AA meeting then end up in court, jail, loosing my drivers license, mental hospital (in my case), or dead.

My problem isn't shyness because I got over that a few years ago. However, I realized I am still an introvert, even though I am friendly because I get overwhelmed when I am around too many people for too long of a time and I have meltdowns.

I have no problem to talking to people there that I like. It was just that going to meetings everyday was upsetting me and overwhelming me. At that particular group there was a lot of drama, some of which included me and I didn't want to be involved in that. I did drop back to 3-4 meetings per week which helped. But there are still some toxic people that keep trying to draw me back into their drama and I want nothing to do with them. I do not want them in my life. I do not wish to speak to them ever and I don't want them speaking to me, PERIOD. I have decided to go to different meetings at a different location with different people.

My problems with AA contributed to my current situation. I still want to be in the program because I need a reminder that I cannot drink and I also want to continue working the steps when I'm ready.

Hi Free Spirit. I do not go to meetings. People there trigger me. I talk to my sponsor on the phone, i have a friend i talk to twice every day for over 20+ years. I read AA literature and go on line. I come to this site and help people and that keeps me busy. It helps me stay right sized and balanced.
I suffer from PTSD and anxiety/depression. Alcoholics with their self loathing just trigger me, i don't want to hear it. I enjoy hearing how they worked on their problems by working the steps or trying to work them. That is how i work it. tc