The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
As they say on the God channel. I'm new. have been lurking a few weeks, posting a few days, haven't told my story yet, will break it down into dribs and drabs cause this has been going on a long time and anybody trying to read it in one sitting would go blind. Thanks to your inspiration and nudging--even when you didn't know I was reading here, I took myself to my first F2F in 18 years or something. Kind of atypical dry drunk situation, and I can be amazingly clueless, or lazy, whatever. And nobody frowned at me (they all turned around and frowned at me when I went to an OA meeting once and came in late and 20 pounds overweight) or asked me to leave. And they were pretty seasoned, and it was strictly Al-Anon, and some of them went to lunch afterwards and invited me to come. That never happened in any meets I did before. Course most of them were at night. Coffee anyone? So I get to go back there. I'm going to have to buy my books again cause we moved and HP alone knows where they are and He hasn't told me so far. There wasn't any literature at the meeting, but it was in a different room than usual. I have a feeling there isn't any. There's also an evening meeting I can do on these long days. Maybe DDH would drive me when it starts getting dark early. That is all there is in this town, and that will be fine. Not my first rodeo. This time I intend to actually try riding the bull, however. Question: my Getting Them Sober book got crunched up in a drawer and tossed long ago. Is it helpful in a 30 years Dry Drunk situation? I forget.
__________________
It's easy to be graceful until someone steals your cornbread. --Gray Charles
I am so glad you are here....and glad you went to meet....as to the getting them sober?? dont' have a clue....as I have NOOO intentions of ever getting involved w/alkies /narkies/ or even the dry ones.....i just had too much pain from them....
yea, I can let them go..lift them in prayer, put them in God's hands, but open myself up to them???? No!!!! Not again.....
Sounds like you have a good and comprehensive plan to take care of you....That is great!!!!! glad you are here....take care , HUGS
Aloha Temple LOL ...at least you hung on to your sense of humor. All of the literature out there is pretty helpful. We don't talk much about "Getting them....." because it isn't CAL however it works for lots of people. I don't like the title because it makes me feel like I flunked the course. We've got a library of the CAL and others that hit on other healing issues. I recommend anything that ups and polishes your spirit and self esteem and teaches you which end of the umbrella to hold when its raining. Thats a long dry drunk....I mean LONG!
Park your camel outside and come back in. It'll be good.
(((((hugs)))))
-- Edited by Jerry F on Thursday 18th of June 2009 10:36:58 PM
Thank you Rosie and Jerry for responding. Which end of the umbrella? I feel as if you know me, Jerry. I always said my Mother thought I was simultaneously the best thing that ever hit the planet and too oblivious to come in out of the rain. I was so glad to see people at the meeting even older than I am. They've been working the program all of the years I've been in and mostly out of meetings, of course. So I see that going to meetings is terminal. That is cool. I am going to go stock up on books and workbooks and do this thing. I am feeling much more connected to a HP than I ever have, so that helps. And I have always said that when I get to Step 4? that I'm going to go to an open AA meeting and find the most seasoned looking old alcoholic I can find and tell him "You are going to listen to this." Because the Al-Anons are such sweet and tender souls, or so it seems to me. Glad I don't have to think about all that today.
__________________
It's easy to be graceful until someone steals your cornbread. --Gray Charles
I am glad you are here, and even happier you are starting back to f2f meetings. We all have different situations, but everyone inside the rooms of Al-Anon deal with simular problems brought on by the disease of alcoholism. So when we are in those rooms we are around people who understand as no one else can what we are going through.
At my Tuesday night meeting this week we discussed how before Al-Anon we might confide in one or two chosen friends when the weight of our problems brought on by the disease had become unbearable. Those friends would tell us what we should do, and advise us with our best interest in mind. All the while as much as they were wanting to help, they were not living with the disease and could not possibly understand what we were going through. We also discussed Tuesday how even though everyone in the room comes from all walks of life, we all have a common bond, a feeling of belonging, and a willingness to help each other in any way we can, and always be there for each other. I feel sure that is true in all Al-Anon groups. Plus, you know anything said in the rooms will stay in the rooms because of the anonymity of the program. Anonymity the the back bone of the program.That is what make our bond so strong. So, even though our friends want to help and even though they think they have our best interest in mind, they can never truly understand because they have never walked in our shoes. The understanding, love, support, and ESH I have obtained inside the rooms of Al-Anon has been nothing but life changing for me. How many times after leaving a meeting or reading something that helped me on this board have I said to myself, "Why didn't I think of that". Enough said.
Again, glad you are back, now you can let the sunshine in !!!!
HUGS, RLC
P.S. Now if you get thrown off the bull, at least you will have a soft landing.
-- Edited by RLC on Friday 19th of June 2009 02:59:52 PM
-- Edited by RLC on Friday 19th of June 2009 03:03:27 PM
RLC: What you say is so true. When I was talking about getting sucked into how everything is going to be so wonderful with this recent move (well, DDH Thought it would be), everybody immediately started laughing with me. It is like there is a shorthand--you don't have to spell it all out because everybody just knows how much you crack yourself up. And the levels of acceptance are just palpable. Like on this board.
What I like about this board is, that there could not possibly be a F2F anywhere in this world with this much "talent" for want of a better word. This is like that great Al-Anon meeting in the sky, Well, in Cyberspace.
I have got to write to John and thank him. When I read his story I was just floored.
__________________
It's easy to be graceful until someone steals your cornbread. --Gray Charles
