For 106 days I’ve been sober on my own. I went to more meetings when I used and drank than I did while recovering. Until today. It has been a little over a year since I’ve been in the rooms. Today I went because my bestfriend asked that I go with them. Their reason for going was to get a form from court signed. However, I felt like it was my responsibility to make sure they felt like this was something good for them and not just a requirement. Before we went in they told me they were feeling anxious and a little scared. I told them the same thing my friend told me when I went to my first meeting, “just listen, you dont even have to share if you dont want to” We walked into the room, grabbed some coffee, sat, and listened to the open discussions. Then, it was time that the tokens were being passed out. As soon as three months was called to come up another member and I got up and picked up our tokens. I tried so hard not to cry and I was overwhelmed by hugs but it felt great! I went back to my seat and my friend congratulated me. After more hugs we went out for brunch. On our way there I let him know how special this was for me and how good it is for them to keep coming back. The room was filled with so many friendly and supportive people, the vibe was amazing! It was my first time at this particular meeting and it’s closer to home. I had completely forgot why people keep coming back. In the past I’d hit up a meeting and go right to the bar soon after. My friend is in the same place I was in last year when I attended meetings. At brunch they ordered a drink. Still they don’t know how meaningful these rooms are and how important sobriety is to me, but I pray that soon enough their “relationship” with alcohol changes. We’ll be attending more meetings until the requirement is completed. Hopefully I can get them to keep coming back even after all this is over. So, after coming back and being actively sober I received my first token. It’s New Year’s Eve and I will keep it in my pocket as one of my many purposes to keep in mind despite where I go today. I want to stay sober and that meeting was exactly what I needed this weekend. This is exactly how I wanted my last day of 2017 to go because the Lord knows how much pain was involved this year alone.
Happy New Year everyone!