yes I am sober thanks to my willingness to go to AA and carry a message to those who are newly recovering....even how poorly I carry it makes a difference in one persons life I will feel that I am happy to have stayed sober and helped someone else to do the direct work to do that too.....
yup I am happy to go to AA meetings....my friends are there....I have other friends elsewhere now too which is a growing area of my life now

I did not like the meetings. I quit going. I am sober for several years.

It depends on the meeting. But I look at it like going to the doctor for a check up. It is nice if I make friends, it is nice if people are courteous but not necessary.

Thank you for bringing it up.

I find that I'm happier if I meet with other alcoholics. The real world is full of speed bumps and I get my tires full of air in a meeting.
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Not me. I found them depressing and not helpful. I went a few times and have been happily sober for years without meetings or AA.

As a trauma survivor I also find them triggering and unhelpful.

I will only allow people into my life that are positive right now, and I find the war stories too much to tolerate

I have a question.

If you've been clean and sober for many years, why are you still going to a meeting? Why haven't you moved on?

Is your entire life structured around your belief that you need them? Is that your entire social life?

Just curious.

Not my entire social life....I do meetup.com all the time and have friends who drink happily....my entire life is structured around the fact that I am trying to be a better bill! the meetings help me remember that Bill is an alcoholic who can help others which is being a better bill

Meetings are wonderful. The people there are like family. Are all the shares positive and necessary? No

But there's always something in someone's pain or triumph that resonates with me.

Sassy, people go to meetings for the fellowship to help others and to always stay in the middle of your addiction.

There is no cure. I know ppl that have gone out with 8, 12, and 29 years.

Meetings are not always wonderful. But I walk into the room and instantly I'm with a group that has known my struggle.

Many friends and family don't understand the ism. Every person in AA does. Are there other methods? Absolutely. And I'd never condemn them as long as they promote abstinence of substances.

Thank all of you for your replies. I love going to AA. i used to ask my sponsor why I had to go to all those fucking AA meetings. He would respond that I need to go till I wanted to go.

Well I am there today. We have hundreds of meetings in my area so if I don't like a certain meeting I just get up and go to a different meeting.

I use this site as a premeeting support.

Before it was my social life. I live in a foreign country and it was hard and it is hard. Actually I moved to this country because I didn't have to drive and I could drink.

Now I go to remind myself on how bad it was and not to forget I am an alcoholic. Because when I get busy with life, I at times can be complacent on my recovery. For example, I would think I could have this delicious cake knowing there is rum in it. And I may not get drunk because I had the cake but I don't want to take the risk.

AA has saved my life because the members share their experience. And a part of me wants to give back. Show my support for newcomers that they are not alone.

I go to Celebrate Recovery, I've been sober for a while and I still attend them because I enjoy them and it allows me to maybe be a support for someone who might be fresh with this struggle. I am able to let them know that there is hope and if I can get through it so can they.

I have this fear of being in large groups of people, but when I go to AA meetings and face those fears, I feel 100% better as a result. Also, there are some things I get at meetings that cannot be seen or measured and I always seem to have a better week after going to a meeting. I can identify with others who have been in my shoes and that helps me stay sober.

God Bless

I love my meetings and have many friends there which I reconnect with each time I go to a meeting. I don't have to go to meetings but I also don't want to mess with something that works.

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