I think for me, meetings are the touchstone to everything else in AA. Finding a sponsor, either when you are new or in a new place like I am now, a number of years sober, finding people who are solid in their program to share telephone calls or coffee with, obviouly hearing all the different stories of what it was like, what happened and what it is like now. Sharing ourselves of course. Making one's self available as a sponsor once you re ready. Of course the literature, the after the meeting chats maybe with people you wouldn't otherwise have contact with, helping newcomers or people bouncing in and out, finding ways to be of service in a variety of ways. And the humour, sometimes black, gallows humour which, paraphrasing the Big Book people outside of AA would be appalled about. But we know what it's like to live the disease and we can laugh at ourselves while being deadly serious about our disease and the solution.

And it just being the Clinic of Calm. Going in with a scattered head or the weight of the world on one's shoulders (and maybe with genuinely serious life issues going on in one's life, as well as alkis' own special way of causing a messy head over nothing) and concentrating on who you meet, the shares, grounding yourself in the meeting, and leaving a better person than when you came in.

Geez I wish I could give this program, including the meetings, to all those sick and suffering alcoholics. But of course they have to get to the meetings to get the Program and ther Fellowship!