Does anyone remember their first meeting

[KitchenWitch]

I know it is cliche, but I could not believe all those people were sober because they were laughing too much!

:hi:

[NMDemDist2]

1. I cried through the whole thing

and thought AA was a very poorly run organization not to have Kleenex available

blubbering into papertowels was the least of my issues but my biggest worry at the time


i remember too in that first week of meetings, hearing folks claim they hadn't drank in 5 years or 15 years and thinking "They gotta be lying or else they sure didn't drink like I do"

and now I are one :evilgrin:

:hi:

[jschurchin]

5. Bwahahaha, AZDem!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I are one too(well kinda, pills don't ya know).

[varkam]

2. Of course.

But that's probably because it was only a couple of months ago. My first meeting I spilled it all, and managed to keep it together until I got back into my car when the meeting was over. It was one of the smartest moves I've made in a long time - deciding to go to those meetings.

[SPKrazy]

3. ROFL!

I remember walking in and seeing the professor who's class I'd missed almost all semester and had just talked to him (BS) about making up a test.

He took one look at me and we both laughed.

Small world.

I also remember my first exposure to AA was with a girl I went out with in OKC. She, her dad, and this guy were all hanging around the pool with me. I'd missed going the week before to see her because I was too hungover and too stoopid to have told her that knowing that she was recovering.

They "12 stepped me, and invited me to a meeting" I told them "no thanks", and drove back to Stillwater deeply offended. I can't remember, I may have even gotten some beer, probably.

It was a good year before I attended an AA meeting with a friend-that's strange in itself. We both were drunk all the time, and high all the time, and we both simultaneously started talking about AA. Somehow we talked each other into going- I think after seeing Sara T portrait of a teenage alcoholic-thinking that we could meet some good looking girls at AA if nothing else LOL

Life has never been the same since then Thank Gawdess!

:grouphug:

[Kajsa]

4. I remember going to a meeting with my Dad.

He was one tough 12 stepper.
I couldn't pull anything over on him, we were so alike.
( besides both of us being alkis)

We went to a speaker meeting in Santa Monica, CA.
I remember being scared, sad and crying. I was sad because
I realized my "life" was over and it was. My drinking and using
"life" had come to an end. It wasn't "OK", anymore. It hadn't been
"OK" for a long time.

Seeing all these happy,smiling people I thought,'Dear God, they are brainwashed!".
No friggin way can a person be happy and sober!!

It's neat to look back at this. It reminds us where we came from.

Thanks for posting this, KitchenWitch.

:grouphug:

[Why Syzygy]

6. I suppose

my first 'meeting' was when I flew to Oakland with first ex. (He was 10 years 'older' than I.. 24).
I had a couple of drinks on the plane. He had none. Which was extroidinary.
His job had been put on the line. Someone had to bring him home from work and say, if you don't go, you have no job. It had been his life for 15 years. He went.

When we got there, they showed us a film. I spent the night sleeping with him on a half bed.
They thought I should stay. I said, no. I had a nine month old baby at home.
Took a plane out of there and went about my business.

But that was the 'first' meeting.

He coaxed me into alanon as soon as he got back, 28 days later. So, I enetered the system.
He gave up drinking for aa. No difference at home. He still didn't participate.
Divorce one.

[Justpat]

7. Yes.

I didn't have any health insurance at the time (or a job, place to
live, food, etc) so I wandered in off the street in some big church
in the area where I was living in a rusted out car in front of a
garbage dump. I went because someone had told me they served donuts.
I went into this nice, fancy church and saw all these huge, satin
wall hangings with the slogans on them. They said things like:
"THINK", and "One Day At A Time", "Easy Does It". The think one
almost finished me off right there. I remember thinking, well, that
leaves me out. Everything scared me. The people and the laughter
made me wonder if they were all nuts. Then during the meeting I heard
more uproarious laughter and it was all I could do to keep from walking
out. It was a first step meeting and I was so totally identified with
everything that was being said I thought someone family had called
ahead to tell them what to say to try to influence me.

I cried through most of it. Then I had some donuts and some kind soul
told me to come back again.So I did. I didn't go because I wanted to
get sober. I went because there was no place left in my life where
people told me to come back. So I went again the next night, had some
more donuts and cried and listened. For the first time in my adult
life, I did what I was told and made 90 meetings in 90 days.

[NMDemDist2]

8. what a great story!

thanks so much for sharing it. so many folks who have the opportunity to find recovery at a high bottom and truly think a low bottom could never happen to them, turn their backs on the program until they find a lower bottom and sometimes a lower one still.

:hug:

[Justpat]

9. Thank you.

On 1/2 I celebrated my 26th year of sobriety. I have been blessed
with a good memory and can clearly remember the anquish and fear of
those first days. I am more appreciative of my sobriety every day.

It is good to revisit those first days to remember what it was like.

[NMDemDist2]

10. well Happy Belated Anniversary!!

:yourock: :applause: :woohoo: :party: :bounce: :patriot:

[Justpat]

11. thanks.

You are so kind.


:loveya:

[KitchenWitch]

12. Happy anniversary!

And thank you for sharing your story!

:hug:

[Justpat]

14. And happy belated anniversary to you too! n/t

[SPKrazy]

15. Great!

congrats

it is good to revisit!

It's hard to see change in the short term, but when I look at the long term, I think who the hell's life was that? Then I realize it's me, but I've changed and so when I get into self pity or whatever now, I can always look back, or better yet, find someone who is sick and needing help today to remind me.

I don't ever want to be there again!

[Why Syzygy]

13. I couldn't

reply to OP because I've had many "firsts". Sitting in the rocking chair and just crying was one of them.
When I used to go years ago, I never noticed anyone crying. But it seems to be quite common.
Must have something to do with the surrender.

Thank you for sharing your story.