Hey @aircircle well done for taking that step to finding a better life and existence.
Keep at it and your life can transform and soon you will be one of those happy and welcoming people.
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Strong work buddy! It can be very surreal. As they say, keep coming back it works if you work it sober!
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So proud of you. I’m not sure I would have attended a meeting alone in the beginning. You are amazing
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So, I was thinking back to this thread yesterday and today as I’ve been talking with my sponsor about steps 2 and 3. Last night I looked it up and read back through it. I remember my first, second and third meetings in great detail. But there was one piece that I did not recall - that the same day of my first and second meetings, that Barred Owl was outside my office. My head was spinning and foggy that day. As I got to work, that owl was just hanging in the tree - it was very unusual behaviour.
Some of you may know that I have a special relationship with birds - so this was significant to me, both at the time and now.
Finally, it was really special to recall who encouraged me here that day. Thanks all: @SmokeyMirror @DarrenUK @anon46927530 @SarahJ @DrunkNoMore @MandiH @Englishd @Just4Today @Mephistopheles @NewPerspective (sorry to the others, I seem to only be permitted to tag 10 people in a post - but I also thank those not tagged who responded before)
I feel like I’ve come a long way since that day, from 20 days and a hot mess, to 5 months (and still bursting into tears at random, but I’m ok with that).
If anyone is considering whether meetings are right for them, give it a try with an open heart and an open mind. There really is nothing to lose and so much to gain.
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Awww well done mate. Keep it up 
insperation to all of us 
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Wow that feels like a long time ago now. I’m so pleased that things are changing and improving for you. You’re doing so well and it’s great to have you around x
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You can do it brother, big step in which I haven’t
Taken myself! Your feeling the same emotions that I have. My heart is with you and your giving me a boost to go🙃
Such an inspiring post. It adds to my positive feelings I have for the program and meetings.
I feel so energized and poised to be better.
I have never felt better !
Thank you.
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Glad I could be a part of your recovery journey. So glad you made it into the rooms and found what you needed to stay sober. You found your wings and learned to fly. Keep soaring you beautiful bird…
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Love this, love you, love your progress. Amazing.
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I just went to my first meeting last weekend. It was a little awkward but it was nice meeting new people. Gonna go again tomorrow
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I highly recommend keep checking out different meetings - they are all different 
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This was an atheist agnostic one. It was a good fit for me.
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Awesome - keep at it. There is an AA book i see advertised in the grapevine called “one big tent” for atheists and agnostics. I want to check it out as i am athiest/agnostic (my feelings are hard to fit into a word…maybe nonthiestic? I’ve found ways to make it work. Glad you are giving it a try.
Amazing advice. People are often scared off if their first 2/3 meetings aren’t to their liking. Travel about if you can and see which work for you.
There are certain ones round here I avoid like the plague and others I drive an hour out of the way for because of the people who attend and the solid sobriety in the room. Each one really is different
I think I am going to keep chucking some things about my AA experience in this thread, in case it helps anyone. If nothing else, it helps me.
When I was less than 30 days, I went to a big-ish meeting (50+ people) for my area. The speaker was 5 months sober and working with a sponsor and I was in awe. Someone from the audience shared something along the lines of “wow, you are going great, when I was 5 months sober I didn’t have a sponsor, wasn’t working the steps, wasn’t even sharing at meetings let alone chairing and speaking.” I thought “well, I can’t really comprehend 5 months sobriety, have no idea if I’ll make it that far, but if I am still here and kicking then, I want to be the first guy - I need to do the work.”
I think back to that now because now I’m a little over 5 months sober. And now I am that first guy. I have a sponsor and I am working the steps. Last night I did my first real chairing and telling my story to a room of 60-70 alcoholics.
I think an important thing to note is that AA isn’t for everyone. The Big Book says:
“Upon therapy for the alcoholic himself, we surely have no monopoly.” (xxi)
But it helps me. It has helped me to stay sober for 5x longer than my previous longest stint of continuous sobriety in 20+ years.
Sometimes I see posts here with people feeling put off because they perceive it to be religious. I was always a fire breathing, table thumping atheist. Yesterday before the meeting I met with my sponsor and went through the 4 pages I wrote about my conception of my higher power. It is a combination of the Great OutDoors, the Group of Drunks, and the universe. I connect with it through music and through other people and through my gut intuition (which I never listened to when drinking). If i can find a way to make it work, anyone can.
Sometimes I see posts from people feeling like they are looked at funny at a meeting because they are in their 20s or 30s. I’ve come to learn that many of those old timers came into the program in their 20s or 30s. They get it. They might be looking at you with interest and curiosity - never with judgment.
Sometimes people seem to be concerned that they are judged because their bottom wasn’t low enough. Last night I talked about how my bottom was deeply psychological rather than material. Drinking caused me to lose my self-respect, my dignity, my self-esteem and my mental health. Guess what? A lot of people there could relate. There is no “who had it worse” contest.
I wanted to share my thoughts as today I feel stronger and able to claim my seat. Why? Because I kept going to meetings and I keep listening for the things that I could relate to. I kept hearing my story - sometimes through events and always through the feelings.
Hope everyone has a fabulous sober day. Or if not fabulous, a sober day will do
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Enjoyed reading your update. I’m planning to check out my first meeting next week. Thank you for the encouragement.
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This ended up being a major discussion at my last meeting. We were discussing Step 2. I think in the whole room only ONE person identified their Higher Power as the traditional Judeo Christian God. The rest of us were all just trying to “figure it out”. So for anyone afraid of AA being too religious, the truth is it is the absolute opposite. They use the word “God” but that is the only similarity between AA and religion I have found. Each person makes it as religious as they want or need.
The quote from the 12 and 12 that really hit me (I think I gasped as it was being read aloud) is:
“It wasn’t AA that had the closed mind, it was me.”
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Here we are. 2 years since my first post. Still here, still sober. Still going to meetings. And things are SOOOO much better. Even better than I could have imagined. 
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awesome! 
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