Food & Drink Anyone here done AA meetings or the like?

[IIIIIIII]

I was on a list for a while and will finally be going to my first group meeting next week. I'm happy to get things going, but I'm anxious about the process.

The meetings are 90-minute long. It seems very long.

What can I expect? Any tip?

(Yes, sherbros, you can make fun of me because I'm a dumb alcoholic. Don't feel bad. Don't hold back.)

it's great that you've decided to do something about it. i've never been to one. hope others here can help.

 

[llperez22]

I got dui's in 2005 and 2014. When I got my second one I had to go to work furlough which is kinda like a low level jail where you can leave for work. While I was there I had to attend several AA meetings they conducted at the facility. It wasnt for me because I didnt want to quit drinking, I just wanted to become a responsible drinker. The other part that turned me off was like Stargazer rex said, its very spiritual and if you are an atheist like myself, you might have a hard time with that.

I told my roommate that I was an atheist and he said that I needed to read the chapter from the AA book that was written for Agnostics. I gave it a read and it basically says that if you dont believe in god you are wrong but dont worry, lots of members have been wrong about god but they find him eventually. It literally says that it is impossible to beat alcoholism without believing in a higher power so AA meetings will help you work on your disbelief too. I found that off putting.

Best of luck on your journey.

 

[IIIIIIII]

I got dui's in 2005 and 2014. When I got my second one I had to go to work furlough which is kinda like a low level jail where you can leave for work. While I was there I had to attend several AA meetings they conducted at the facility. It wasnt for me because I didnt want to quit drinking, I just wanted to become a responsible drinker. The other part that turned me off was like Stargazer rex said, its very spiritual and if you are an atheist like myself, you might have a hard time with that.

I told my roommate that I was an atheist and he said that I needed to read the chapter from the AA book that was written for Agnostics. I gave it a read and it basically says that if you dont believe in god you are wrong but dont worry, lots of members have been wrong about god but they find him eventually. It literally says that it is impossible to beat alcoholism without believing in a higher power so AA meetings will help you work on your disbelief too. I found that off putting.

Best of luck on your journey.

so many people have drank for so many years that they completely forget what it feels like to be 100% sober in both body and mind. that feeling is something they have completely forgotten. rehabilitation works because it places them back to that sober state of mind. it's only then that the process of rewiring can begin.

i'd personally suggest rehabilitation over aa. but a good one.

 

[zapataxiv]

Yeah, I went to an Assholes Anonymous meeting once... they threw me out because I was too much of a cunt, even for them. /shrugs

I'm imagining Ray Shoesmith at anger management

 

[Contempt]

I'm imagining Ray Shoesmith at anger management

I'd be imagining that too... if I had any idea who that is.

 

[zapataxiv]

I got dui's in 2005 and 2014. When I got my second one I had to go to work furlough which is kinda like a low level jail where you can leave for work. While I was there I had to attend several AA meetings they conducted at the facility. It wasnt for me because I didnt want to quit drinking, I just wanted to become a responsible drinker. The other part that turned me off was like Stargazer rex said, its very spiritual and if you are an atheist like myself, you might have a hard time with that.

I told my roommate that I was an atheist and he said that I needed to read the chapter from the AA book that was written for Agnostics. I gave it a read and it basically says that if you dont believe in god you are wrong but dont worry, lots of members have been wrong about god but they find him eventually. It literally says that it is impossible to beat alcoholism without believing in a higher power so AA meetings will help you work on your disbelief too. I found that off putting.

Best of luck on your journey.

yea my dad went to some meetings and said the same
he kicked the bottle on his accord

 

[Berserker13]

just get some gaba and nac supplements

 

[William Huggins]

Yes ?


Good luck with the meetings and sobriety x

Stay sharp, say nothing.....

 

[William Huggins]

Yeah, I went to an Assholes Anonymous meeting once... they threw me out because I was too much of a cunt, even for them. /shrugs

There the cunts!!! It's a sign of good manners to turn up with bags, drinks and the number of a good escort agency....... Bunch of low lifes sitting in a circle moaning.....

 

[Jesus X]

AA meetings don't work because it is a repetitive pity party of the regulars telling the same stories over and over it is not a proactive measure the motto of AA is that you are powerless over your addiction and will forever be an addict so just don't drink. The s.m.a.r.t system takes a better approach to curing addiction than A.A does.

 

[Michaelangelo]

I got dui's in 2005 and 2014. When I got my second one I had to go to work furlough which is kinda like a low level jail where you can leave for work. While I was there I had to attend several AA meetings they conducted at the facility. It wasnt for me because I didnt want to quit drinking, I just wanted to become a responsible drinker. The other part that turned me off was like Stargazer rex said, its very spiritual and if you are an atheist like myself, you might have a hard time with that.

I told my roommate that I was an atheist and he said that I needed to read the chapter from the AA book that was written for Agnostics. I gave it a read and it basically says that if you dont believe in god you are wrong but dont worry, lots of members have been wrong about god but they find him eventually. It literally says that it is impossible to beat alcoholism without believing in a higher power so AA meetings will help you work on your disbelief too. I found that off putting.

Best of luck on your journey.

I think the idea is to not only make you feel helpless but transfer your addiction to some 3rd party island where only a creator can save you

Maybe it’s a placebo effect for some

 

[Michaelangelo]

Yes, sherbros, you can make fun of me because I'm a dumb alcoholic. Don't feel bad. Don't hold back.

Nothing to joke about it tbh

You should be commended for trying to better yourself

 

[ricc505]

I was on a list for a while and will finally be going to my first group meeting next week. I'm happy to get things going, but I'm anxious about the process.

The meetings are 90-minute long. It seems very long.

What can I expect? Any tip?

(Yes, sherbros, you can make fun of me because I'm a dumb alcoholic. Don't feel bad. Don't hold back.)

I got a DUI on super bowl Sunday about 10 years ago. I went to a few meetings mandated by the court. I feel it hurt my drinking more then helped. I wasn't one of them. I quit over 2 years ago on my own no problems. If you need the help and go all in on the program it can work. But.....

* The following is my opinion on myself and the people I listened too in aa meetings. I am not judging them or you and I hope you find what you are looking for. *

I heard suicidal drinkers who went to jail, RUINED their families, stole, lost jobs, hurt kids, hurt themselves, mentally and physically addicted. I feel some become addicted to aa and came to crave the spotlight. I knew guys who went 4 times a day. I know guys who can't out preaching like vegans trying to save others. It was hard to listen to the stories since I felt I wasn't in the same place, it almost felt like I could drink tons more before I could hit rock bottom. My life looked awesome in comparison

Go and listen, remember you don't have to share and it's not performance art or a competition. Good luck and remember what brought you to this decision whenever you think it's time for a drink and just say no to the drink

 

[William Huggins]

yea my dad went to some meetings and said the same
he kicked the bottle on his accord

Why would you kick a bottle on a Honda???

Was it a red one......?

 

[koquerelle]

What caused you to decide to quit?

I bought a $250 bottle of Bourbon and drank it in one evening like it was cheep booze. My wife told me I had a drinking problem and I got mad at her. I knew the next morning I had to do something.

 

[zapataxiv]

Why would you kick a bottle on a Honda???

Was it a red one......?

blue with a cold air intake, tinted windows and a banging spoiler

 

[William Huggins]

I bought a $250 bottle of Bourbon and drank it in one evening like it was cheep booze. My wife told me I had a drinking problem and I got mad at her. I knew the next morning I had to do something.

Axe and clear polyethylene sheeting???

 

[koquerelle]

I think the idea is to not only make you feel helpless but transfer your addiction to some 3rd party island where only a creator can save you

There's no religious aspect at the meetings I will attend.

 

[Osculater]

Don't become an alcoholic lol

 

[ColemanwastheGOAT]

I was on a list for a while and will finally be going to my first group meeting next week. I'm happy to get things going, but I'm anxious about the process.

The meetings are 90-minute long. It seems very long.

What can I expect? Any tip?

(Yes, sherbros, you can make fun of me because I'm a dumb alcoholic. Don't feel bad. Don't hold back.)

I did online AA in my 20s for a bit. I had been working in a bar in a new city where I didn't know anyone and my entire social life became centered around drinking. After about 18 months of that I realized it was a bad path and stopped drinking and I went overnight from having a massive social group of mostly very hot girls to having literally no one.

So I did some AA chat groups and they helped a bit to deal with the loneliness but I realized pretty quickly from talking to real addicts that I wasn't an addict, I was just lonely, and I just got back into tabletop gaming and made new friends through that.

I went back to one of those groups later when I was dealing with a family member's addiction and they were NOT welcoming at all lmao. They HATE concerned family members of addicts for some reason. That was kind of suprising.

If you're really looking to stop drinking the best advice I can give is just identify the time of day you drink at and find something else to do during that time. I wasn't an addict, but I liked having some beers after about 7pm, so I just found something else to do during that time and within a couple of weeks, you really don't miss it at all.

Once you've been stopped drinking for a couple of years you look back and honestly it's such a fucking weird stupid habit. Remember you got along just fine before you ever had a drink.