A First

I went to my first AA meeting today, awfully nervous and even a bit doubtful. I haven’t yet stopped drinking and I was questioning whether I had any business being there. I quickly discovered there was nothing to worry about in that respect. The people were incredibly open and supportive and within seconds of the end of the meeting I had two telephone numbers. The stories that were shared were both scary and full of hope in regards to recovery. I even managed to share a little myself as an introduction and I made sure to mention that I haven’t yet stopped drinking but that I have a desire to do so. I was shaking and sweating and I’m sure my voice trembled but at the end of it I just felt relief. I knew that if I didn’t speak early, I’d find it harder by the day to open up. I was shown some useful literature and I made a mental note of bringing some money with me for the next meeting. All in all it felt really good and I will follow the advice to go to as many meetings as possible.

Written 8-5-2011