I went to my very first ACOA/AlAnon meeting today and boy did I find my group. I am officially declaring myself "in recovery" now.
There was a good mix of men & women there, and I heard a lot of good things. I related to just about every one and can see that I have a lot to learn. For now I'm taking it one day at a time, allowing myself to become aware of things as they come up. I felt a lot memories of my childhood surfacing this morning.
Other than to introduce myself as a "newbie" I didn't say anything. What can I say? I felt the need to be humble and listen -- but I also know that my shyness (and anxiety with public speaking) can get the better of me. I probably should have hung around longer afterward. But everyone was welcoming. I have a hearing problem (even with 2 hearing aids) but I was mostly able to hear everyone.
I'll be going back every week. There was mention of a Women's only group on Wednesday. For now I'm committing myself to this one meeting. I don't want to get too spread around.
hotrod said
Sep 12, 2016
Great Tucker I am happy for you . Do not worry about not sharing as it took me over a year before I connected and shared -
I did attend ever day, kept an open mind and listened to learn and it was terrific
Iamhere said
Sep 12, 2016
Yay for you Tucker - great strength to go to the local meeting! I will share when I first started recovery, I did go as often as possible. I realize we all have our life commitments - it just was a good time for me to go to multiple meetings each week. In the beginning, that carried me for a while. I also did not open up for a while. One of many things I love about recovery is that we recover at our own pace and there is no 'time-table' or deadline. You are free to spend as much time as necessary on each step/issue and move forward as you are ready.
Thanks for swinging back and sharing with us - brightened my day!
tucker said
Sep 12, 2016
I am very fortunate that there is an Al-Anon meeting almost every day at a place near to where I live. All are around the noon hour. It is in a "log cabin" meeting room behind a local church. Very comfortable and easy. I was surprised at how many working people were there. The AA meeting place is not far away, but at an established "club". This log cabin appears to be almost exclusively set aside for Al-Anon meetings. I was also very touched by the men who shared at the meeting -- un-embarrassed by their tenderness and vulnerability. That, alone, was good for me to see. It is easy for me to become isolated and close-minded. This venture out into the real world into a room where real people were honestly talking about their lives was good. Made the whole saga less of a "head" trip.
Thank you Iamhere for reminding me that this is not a race! (I need to know that ) I'm sort of following my nose now, and it seems as if it is pointing me in the right directions and to the right people and places. That, alone, is rather profound.
I was telling my husband that already I feel like I am not stuck anymore. I have a way.
Jerry F said
Sep 12, 2016
(((((TUCKER)))))...you sound like a twin including two hearing aids and shyness and the like. A woman at my morning meeting reminded me of you avatar yesterday so we are all in this together. You are not stuck...great perception. Keep coming back (((((hugs)))))
Enigmatic said
Sep 12, 2016
Fantastic! So happy for you, Tucker, meetings are a great beginning to the journey. Thank you for sharing it with us, keep up the great work
I went to my very first ACOA/AlAnon meeting today and boy did I find my group. I am officially declaring myself "in recovery" now.
There was a good mix of men & women there, and I heard a lot of good things. I related to just about every one and can see that I have a lot to learn. For now I'm taking it one day at a time, allowing myself to become aware of things as they come up. I felt a lot memories of my childhood surfacing this morning.
Other than to introduce myself as a "newbie" I didn't say anything. What can I say? I felt the need to be humble and listen -- but I also know that my shyness (and anxiety with public speaking) can get the better of me. I probably should have hung around longer afterward. But everyone was welcoming. I have a hearing problem (even with 2 hearing aids) but I was mostly able to hear everyone.
I'll be going back every week. There was mention of a Women's only group on Wednesday. For now I'm committing myself to this one meeting. I don't want to get too spread around.
I did attend ever day, kept an open mind and listened to learn and it was terrific
Thanks for swinging back and sharing with us - brightened my day!
Thank you Iamhere for reminding me that this is not a race! (I need to know that
I was telling my husband that already I feel like I am not stuck anymore. I have a way.
(((((TUCKER)))))...you sound like a twin including two hearing aids and shyness and the like. A woman at my morning meeting reminded me of you avatar yesterday so we are all in this together. You are not stuck...great perception. Keep coming back (((((hugs)))))